When the work you put in is realized, let yourself feel the pride but always stay humble and kind. –Tim McGraw
It was a lopsided high school football game. Up 28-0 to start the 4th quarter, Georgetown Prep’s starters were on the bench and the spirited and eager backups were in the game. Not wanting to run up the score, our legendary football coach, Jim Fegan, called for basic, up-the-middle handoffs to our second-string tailback. Three yards and a cloud of dust! But as fate would have it, the tailback busted a few tackles, sprinted to the outside, and scampered 70 yards for an electrifying touchdown. Rumble, young man, rumble!
The sidelines erupted and the crowd went into a frenzy. It was the beautiful realization of hard work and selfless toil behind the spotlight. The tailback was both surprised and electrified by his accomplishment. In the heat of the moment, he lost himself completely Instead of handing the ball to the referee and celebrating with his teammates, he spiked the ball and pounded his chest. Then he raised his arms and pointed to himself. Coach Fegan was having NONE of it.
When the tailback reached the sidelines, he knew that his reckoning day had arrived. Coach Fegan greeted the tailback with a scowl and a simple but powerful admonishment:
“Act like you’ve been there before!”
It was a great reminder that no individual is above the team. When one person scores, everyone scores. Solitary celebrations would not be tolerated. But more importantly, it also set the perfect bar for achieving greatness. We should expect to win. We should expect to get in the end zone. So let’s stay humble and classy when we get there.
It Takes a Village
In our lives, we can receive all kinds of accolades. Perhaps we are the top-producing salesperson in the region. Perhaps we founded our company and executed a successful IPO. Perhaps we spearheaded a lucrative acquisition. Perhaps we were recognized for our significant cultural contributions. Perhaps we finally won a case, earned more playing time, or got called back for an audition.
These are amazing milestones and ones worthy of celebration and pride. When we put the work in and are blessed with success, we do not have to be robotic and stoic. Victories, in sports, and in life, should bring out the emotions in all of us. Fist-pumping. High-fiving. Hugging. Popping the champagne. We have earned it and our victories should be recognized with passion. But these should NOT be individual actions we throw in the face of our opponents.
It takes a village to achieve our goals. For every person standing at the top of the mountain, there is a team of people staring up who have helped them ascend. We need to recognize our loved ones who have helped us climb the ladder. That will keep us humble. That will stoke our expectations of future success. That will help us act like we’ve been there before!
We Will Bounce Back
But what if we don’t score a touchdown? What if we fumble three times and get blown out by our opponent? What if we damage a relationship or end up in financial turmoil? What if our company goes under or our dream fades away? How do we stay humble and grounded on the shifting sands of success? We can’t panic and lash out at those closest to us. We can’t crawl into our shell and retreat from the world. We can’t blame others and turn bitter. We have to act like we’ve been there before!
Think back to those moments when we experienced defeat and disillusionment. Didn’t we pull ourselves out of it every time? Didn’t we move forward battered but unbroken? We’ve done this before! We did it with the help and support of our inner circle. We did it by asking for and accepting support. Just as no person summits the mountain by themselves, no person falls to the valley floor alone. Resilience requires teamwork and humility. In turbulent times, we have to breathe and remember that this too shall pass!
Winning is something we should come to expect. But losing is not a permanent destination. We will bounce back. And when we do, our accomplishments will be so much more meaningful when we recognize them and celebrate them together.
Thank you, Coach Fegan, for not only teaching us how to be successful in football, but for teaching us how to be successful in life. The world is a better place when we act like we have been there before.