Go with what the defense gives you

January 27, 2022

By Jeff Becraft

I learned a valuable lesson last Saturday. In football terminology, you have to go with what the defense gives you.

I was just coming off an illness and was feeling better each day. Saturday was going to be a big day and I had all kinds of items I wanted to get accomplished. There was one problem… I got up that day and I felt like someone had given me a Benadryl.

As the day wore on, I was more and more disappointed and more and more frustrated. I had such big plans and high hopes for the day. It wasn’t working out the way I wanted… and my attitude and my mental and emotional well-being continued to go down as the day wore on.

On Saturday evening, I realized there were still a lot of things to be thankful for. And I began to shift my focus to being thankful for what I could be thankful for and not focusing on how the day was not what I wanted.

And I began to see the lesson of you have to go with what the defense gives you.

Earlier in the year, the Kansas City Chiefs were not doing too well. Here they were, Super Bowl champions two years ago, with a high powered offense and a quarterback who plays like he came from another world, but they were struggling… and losing.

In the past, they had lived off of big plays. A few big plays, a short period of time off the clock, and whoa la — chalk off another touchdown. Defenses began to recognize this and make adjustments and took the big plays away from them. Earlier in the year, Kansas City kept trying to force the issue and pull off the same big plays down field… rather than taking what the defenses were giving them and being more patient. They eventually got the picture, became more patient, settled in on shorter plays, and made adjustments to what defenses were giving them. They continued to move the ball down the field but they did it in a different way than what they were used to.

They once again began scoring points… and winning… and are now serious contenders in the playoffs.

It is true for us in life. There are times when we can have big plans, big expectations, and big desires of what we want to see happen. And then the parameters and circumstances change, and instead of making adjustments, we try to force the ball down field, press on certain situations, and become more and more disappointed and aggravated that things are not working out.

Sunday?  For me, last Sunday was great. I accepted the parameters in front me and knew that I wasn’t going to be able to be a 100% back in the action. I was a lot more relaxed and satisfied with how things were… which wiped away the discouragement, disappointment, and false guilt that I wasn’t accomplishing what I wanted.

So take what the day gives you… make adjustments… and keep moving the ball down field.

 

Jeff Becraft is the Director Emeritus for Youth Corps and has dedicated much of his life to helping shift the vision of people’s lives. Youth Corps is a life-changing leadership development experience that inspires high school students to be leaders in the Midlands and beyond. You can connect with Jeff at [email protected].