I’m from the province of the greatest football fans in the world. Last night the Riders lost another football game. While we were listening to the game on the radio with family and friends, I witnessed people getting all upset about what was going on in the game. They were upset about the plays that were called by the coach, missed catches and penalty after penalty definitely added to the frustration. I asked one person who was very emotional, ‘what bothers you about them playing like that?’ They replied, ‘we’re missing the ball and we can’t even kick a field goal.’ In that moment, I could feel the energy! This person was literally in the game with the players and was literally trying to make things happen.
As I was lying in bed this morning, I thought about that experience with the group last night. It made me think…how are we at handling our own teams in life? How are we at playing with our own players and calling our own plays? You bet it is so much easier calling the plays for others…been there!
We have teams that naturally form, like our families, birth and through marriage. We have teams that come together, like the co-workers in our jobs or members of the different associations we belong to. We have teams that we create through our business like our clients, for example. Then we have the team where we are all part of the collective humanity. All of these teams involve players of all kinds.
Do you always get to choose who you want on your team? Did you choose your family? Did you choose your clients? Regardless if you do or don’t, how do you play with the members of your team?
Everyone on your team has a special gift or talent. If you were going to play a game with them, what ‘game’ would you pick them as your partner? If there was a contest with a great prize for the team who knew the most about country and western singers, my mom would be the first person I would pick to be on my team. That lady knows so much about country and western singers, it blows me away. If there was a contest with a great prize for a physical sport of some kind, my mom would be the very last person I would pick. Does that make my mom not a good team player? Does that make my mom a looser? My mom, like the other players in my life, has amazing gifts and talents. She may not be the best person to compliment another person, but she sure can sew an amazing wedding gown.
Every person in your life right now is on one team or another…maybe even many teams. It may not be your team and it doesn’t matter. What matters is the teams you pick to play on. Are you finding the team that is right for you or are you still trying to play on someone else’s team…someone else’s team that no longer brings out your gifts and talents? Are you playing like a team player and are you calling your own plays? Is your team fun to play with….or are you on that team to win? Every team offers us learning; every player offers us learning….what have you learned from your teams lately?
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