Things I learned from the Eagles

I'm an Eagles fan (take the girl out of Philly, but can't take Philly out of the girl). I watched the NFC Championship game yesterday and wondered what team stepped out of the locker room and played for the Eagles during the first half of the game. They may have looked like the Eagles, but they certainly did not play like the Eagles of the last 5 or so games. They got their butts handed to them by a team that was well prepared, if not exactly brilliant. The Cards, to their credit, took advantage of the situation and made the best of the Eagles lack of everything that made them look so good postseason. I don't know what Andy Reid said during half time, but the Eagles that I knew finally stepped out on the field for the second half and made up an 18 point deficit, leading by one until the Cards were able to score their only TD of the second half. The Cards will be going to the Super Bowl and the Eagles will be going home. But that is not the way it it should have been.



For whatever reason- nerves, lack of confidence, lack of focus, poor planning, overconfidence, or any other of a host of reasons- the Eagles were their own worst enemy during the first half of that game. To their credit, they pulled it together when their backs were against the wall, but they never should have been in that position. They were not beat by a superior team, frankly they lost. They beat themselves. How often does that happen to you in your life?



We all sabotage ourselves from time to time; creating self fulfilling prophecies of doom and gloom, inventing insurmountable odds, building up an enemy into something super human, downplaying our abilities and opportunities, and rejecting support. For some of us it becomes such a habit that pessimism is second nature to us. But is it realistic?



We don't always hold all the cards to come out on top in a difficult situation, but a good amount of the time we do or at least we have the ability to come out even. Some realistic assessment of both what you bring to the situation and what you are facing, combined with a dash of hope, a dollop of preparation, and a lot of work is what most situations require. Their is no need for blind faith or unrealistic optimism. If we give ourselves the credit that we give the challenges we face, then it's not too hard to believe that a great deal is possible.



Don't wait until a situation becomes desperate and your back is against the wall to marshal your inner strength and ingenuity. Develop a clear and true vision of who you are and what you are capable of, then make a fair assessment of what you are facing. After you have prepared yourself, be proactive, act decisively and with forethought, and take the best advantage of your momentum. While you will not always be victorious, you will not have beaten yourself and will always be able to walk away knowing that you have given your very best effort. I don't think the Eagles are able to say the same.