Never Settle For Less

In the spirit of the football season I’ve decided to write a blog about one of the most challenging positions in the game.  Coaches and players call it the “island” because you’re basically out there alone.  On top of that its a very thankless position.

When you’re doing good people barely even notice.  You may get a comment here or there but not too much fuss is made about it.  All is right in the world.  The clouds are blue and the sun is shining.  The birds are singing.

Slip up and make one mistake and things go downhill in a hurry.  Every mistake the cornerback makes is magnified.  He’s one of the few players on the field who isn’t allowed to be human!   All of a sudden people are paying attention.  Screams of   “Get that guy out of there”, “you suck”, and “get that chump out of the game” start to ring out.    On top of that you get to watch the other team celebrate your failure.  I’ve yet to mention something…

All this happens in the span of about 4 seconds.  In 4 seconds you go from happy and in good spirits to dejected in terrible spirits.  Even worse is that you have a few hundred (or even a few thousand) people reminding you about it.  You then have about 60 seconds pull your face off the ground, recompose yourself, and return to form for the next play.

If you don’t have control of yourself you ride that roller coaster of emotions the whole game and your performance suffers. Every 60 seconds you’re wiping the slate clean (unless you’re playing VERY well).  You have no time to worry about what happened on the play where you gave up 3 yds, 15 yds, or 60 yds.  If you do then you’re already done.  You’re letting your team and fans down.  Bad cornerbacks stay on the roller coaster.  Good cornerbacks never get on it to begin with.

A few years ago I was discussing what goes through your head when you give up a big play with a friend of mine who used to play the position.  He said, “It feels like the weight of the world is on your shoulders.  Everyone is disappointed in you, you’re disappointed in yourself, you feel almost worthless, and the guy who just roasted you is dancing in your face letting you know he’s the best thing with 2 legs to touch the field”.  That’s a heavy load to carry especially in a position where you’re isolated and must rely on yourself and yourself only.

In a position like that you’re forced to possess a SELECTIVE and SHORT memory.  The best cornerbacks truly have it mastered.  When they give up a big play they get up and brush themselves off in a manner that’s almost inhuman.  They have to or else they can’t be their best.  That island is a lonely place and I commend anyone who step’s out there to command it.

Here is the point that I want to drive home.  Life is just like that island.  Many things come our way on a daily basis ranging from great to ridiculously awful.  We do 1 of 2 things when this happens.  Either learn to handle the situation or be destroyed by it.  I’ve learned that living like a cornerback is extremely helpful.  From time to time I’ll 100% drop the ball on something.  When I do either someone will let me know it or I know it myself.  Worrying over it and dwelling on it is a big waste of time and productivity so I don’t sweat it.  I look at the situation and learn what I need to learn.  Never do I weigh myself down thinking about what I’ve done wrong.  Life is too short.

Learn to brush the little things off so that you can keep your eyes on the big picture and ultimate goal.  If you get too caught up in what you’ve done wrong you’ll have a really difficult time doing things better.  Live like a cornerback by taking the wins as they come and learning but dwelling on the losses.

If you like my blog please check back often.  I’ll be writing at least 3 times a week.  RSS subscribe to be reminded of a new posting or bookmark this page.  Thanks!

This entry was posted on Sunday, September 16th, 2007 at 9:03 am and is filed under Motivation, Personal Development, Memory. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.