(Crappy picture from Forbes...you'd think they could do better.)
I am a Seattle Seahawks fan.
I used to be a passive fan. My in-laws live there, and it's really the only team I could see myself following closely with any value. There was a problem with that though.
You see, I'm from South Dakota. I've lived in eight states, and I just made a major move from the Austin area to the Rio Grande Valley (should count as #9). Wherever I live, I'm pretty much the only Seahawks fan anybody knows.
That means when the Seahawks play the Cowboys, I'm the enemy. When the Seahawks played the Vikings or Broncos or Rams or...
Wherever I went, I was the only one.
So I decided a few years back to OWN that. Sometimes, that was ironic in nature. This has not been a historically amazing team. Steelers fans? Wow--brave. Cowboys fans? Flat-out annoying "homers" and funny to watch now. I constantly posted how awesome Payton Manning was last night--because I had really gotten sick and tired of hearing it from every yap in my environment.
You get the picture: by default I had to become a more vocal fan. Fortunately, that has become a fun position to hold.
This year was my turn. Last night culminated a fantastic season. It was wonderful watching the Seahawks win so many games, but it was more compelling to watch the individual stories. I'm going to start with Russell Wilson--not because he's the best player or because it's always about the quarterback. Oh my, that was NOT the case last night. No, this is about preparation...and patience, even in the second year of your career.
The first story to mention happened after Russell's first home loss as a Seahawks QB--almost two years into his career. It was an important game for two reasons: (1) a win would secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs; and (2) the Arizona Cardinals were a very good and improving team from the same division. You could make a case that the Cardinals could have won last night. In that important game, the offense sputtered under Wilson, and the loss led to a very important final game that could have been much less stressful.
The next morning, Coach Pete Carroll couldn't sleep. He got up, got dressed, and headed to the team's facility to look at game footage to find answers. When he arrived, Russell Wilson was already watching film. The team was 11-3, but two key leaders were uncomfortable with how things were going. Both saw the first step as a mental one. The approach seemed to work, with the Seahawks making short work of the St. Louis Rams in the final regular season game--one which was not broadcast anywhere I could find it.
The story led to a popular Twitter hashtag: #NoTime2Sleep.
THAT story overshadowed another one.
Last year, Russell Wilson and the Seahawks made the playoffs and beat a trendy RGIII's football team from Washington, DC. They lost a close playoff game in Atlanta, due to some mistakes, injuries, a good opponent, and bad luck. Wilson attended the Super Bowl, anyway. He came early--as he would have if he were playing--to watch the teams as they prepared on game day. The idea was to experience the process and familiarize himself with the routines and insights of the unique event. He was preparing to become a champion--mentally.
Championships seem to take one game or one series to complete. That is not the case. Preparing to win that final game takes years of focus. The same is true in most aspects of life. We hear of people living "paycheck to paycheck." I am constantly told at my new position, "We can't do that. [They/he/she/the auditors] wouldn't allow something like that." Basing your approach on an end that you have internalized--well, that changes your daily approach.
It was nice watching Russell Wilson hold that trophy. It was more special to me because I got to "watch" him prepare and work so diligently. He was constantly doing that, even from an early age. He didn't just "win the Super Bowl." Nobody does that on their own. Instead, he consistently worked to put himself into position to become the champion he is today. He won by doing those things when nobody was looking (as much as that is possible). We all have those opportunities; few of us take them. Russell Wilson did, though.
To quote another champion, "Go and do likewise."
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