Life is not a solo act.  It’s a collaboration with people who will support us in times of strife–William Butler Yeats

My good friend’s son is going through the college football recruiting process.  He is a big, athletic player in huge demand from several reputable programs.  For the most part, it has been an incredibly humbling and rewarding experience.

All of the schools had good intentions and described scenarios where this player would thrive in school and bask in the glory of the team’s success.

“We will help you win a national championship.”

“We will get you the exposure you need to be All-Conference”.

“When the professional scouts come calling, we will be there for you every step of the way.”

This is all positive.  Who doesn’t want to win?  Who doesn’t want to have individual and team success?

But one school took a markedly different approach.

One school rose above the others and channeled unconditional support and resiliency:

“We think you will be successful here but it’s not going to be easy. 

You are going to face a day when you are injured.  When your girlfriend dumps you.  When you aren’t getting the playing time you think you deserve.  When you feel like a little fish in a big pond.  That is when you can count on us.

We will be there for you on your worst day!”

Sign me up for that school.  Isn’t that what life is all about?

Success Does Not Always Come Easily

Our careers are going to be a roller coaster.

We will experience incredible thrills that we think will last forever.  The market will be soaring.  Our clients will be begging us for solutions.  Our decisions will turn into gold.  Our team will get along and crush its goal.

We will be able to share these incredible moments with our co-workers.  We will have the support of management and our shareholders.  Our team will respect and appreciate our leadership.

But the meteoric rise to the top may not last forever.

Markets crash.  Customers disappear.  Teams can bicker and self-implode.  We will not always make the right decisions.  Who will be there for us at our lowest moment?  Who will help us pick up the pieces?

Those are the people we have to remember.  Those are the people we have to cherish.  Those are the people who will help us stay resilient.

Our Support Group Will Keep Us Positive

The same is true in every aspect of our lives.  There will be winning streaks.  There will be times of financial success.  There will be times when our family members will all get along.  We will build strong relationships and experience harmony in our personal life.

But losing streaks happen.  Expenses can stifle our savings.  Relationships can wither.  Our family will not always be moving in the same direction.

How do we get back on track?  Where can we turn?

We turn to our support group.   We quickly learn who will be there for us and who is along for the ride.  We seek out those special individuals who care enough to help us on our worst day.

Adversity Helps us Appreciate Success

And those who have helped us on our worst day, will be there to celebrate on our best day.

Adversity, by its very definition, is not easy  We don’t want to fail.  We don’t want to experience pain.  We don’t seek out uncomfortable and difficult moments.  Nobody likes to lose.

But those losses make the victory so much sweeter.  Those failures make us truly appreciate the triumphs.  That pain leads to so much joy when we turn things around.

Our choice to channel resiliency rather than resignation will be rewarded!

And the celebration with those who have been there for us in down times will be so much more meaningful.  The bonds will be so much stronger because they have experienced the losses with us.  They have felt our pain.  And now they have seen how far we have come.  Now, they are a part of our success!

Life is Not a Solo Act

The colleges promising glory, fame and success are not wrong.  We should always strive for the best.  We should have goals and dreams and an optimistic outlook on our future.  We should be able to picture victory.

But sustained success requires a powerful team.  It requires the right environment.  It requires a support system to help us when we make a mistake or choose the wrong the path.  It requires someone who will not abandon us when the road gets rocky.

Who is going to roll with us until the wheels fall off?  Who is going to be there for us on our worst day?

We must recognize that we can’t do it alone.

Life is not a solo act.

Until next week, keep smiling!