Do you live in Vision or Circumstance?

Saturday's victory by an unranked Texas A&M football team over the perennial number one ranked Alabama was not only an exciting game to watch, the post-game interviews served up a series of lessons that we can apply to our professional and personal lives.?

Although he had just lead his team to success against overwhelming odds, broke the opposing team’s 19 game winning streak, became the first of Nick Saban's assistants to come up victorious in a head to head game, and all of this on his birthday… Coach Fisher spoke clearly about the things he believed led to the win:?

1.????“Eliminate the clutter.”?There are a number of clichés to emphasis this point such as “K.I.S.S.” or “get back to basics.” The fundamental truth is that if we focus on executing the key tasks to the best of our ability, we put the odds for success in our favor.?Where you focus, your energy will follow.?Eliminate the noise from your life and focus on what is truly important.

2.????Ignore the critics: “Don’t give time or attention to media and especially social media.”?Texas A&M was coming off two weeks of losses. The critics were growing and getting louder. ?Many were openly questioning the coach’s steadfast decision to stick with his quarterback.?Coach Fisher ignored the noise and held to what he knew to be true.?The coach emphasized this process to his team, they listened to him and more importantly, believed him.?And it paid off – Big.

3.????“You make your own history.”?Coach Fisher threw in a lot of lessons in making this point… each ?could be a post on its own:

a.????“Believe in yourself.” No one knows you like you do.?Your WHY is a driving force for your goals, priorities, and daily tasks.?It provides your focus.?And, as I have already stated, where you focus your energy will follow.

b.????“You are defined by how you respond to adversity.” Note the word “respond” – not react.?How do you respond when things don’t go the way you planned??If you believe in yourself with a solid WHY, the response is easier.?(Not easy, but easier.)

c.?????“You are defined by how you respond to success.”?Just as important as how you respond to adversity, your response to success speaks loudly.?Again, if your belief is supported by a strong Why, this is easier.?You stay the course with a full understanding that there is still more to accomplish.

d.????“There is a growth curve there.”?Simply recognizing that there is a growth curve is huge.?A similar curve exists in your business, your products, and your clients. When we take the first step outside of our comfort zone, we often struggle to gain traction and even consider giving up. Then, once we struggle through the adversity and begin an upward trend, we have to be able to identify the traps that we may encounter. ?And once we do achieve a level of success, we must adjust and prepare for the next cycle.?Understanding where we are in the cycle is critical to continued growth.

4.????“Believe in Leadership.”?Despite the previous two disappointing weeks, the team continued to believe in their leadership and hold the course. They applied all the lessons above and focused on what they knew to be true.?Remember, focus equals energy.??The team believed in themselves, believed in their leaders, and believed in the plan.

5.????“Play the next play.”?When you are faced with adversity or success, you have stay present and recognize the moment for what it is and simply “play the next play.”?And regardless of the outcome, you have to “play the next play.”?When the critic’s noise is overwhelming, you have to “play the next play.”?Again, where you focus, energy will follow allowing you to “play the next play.”

6.????“If you don’t understand why you had success, it is wasted.”?Whether we are facing adversity or success, if we don’t take time to debrief and truly understand what happened and why, we miss the lessons that could play an important part of future success.?Don’t miss the lessons along the journey.?

Coach Fisher summed up his thoughts with the question he asks regardless of adversity or success: “Do you live in Vision or Circumstance?”?Are you a Victor or a Victim? If you buy into the lessons above, that answer is easy.?

As further proof to the validity of the above lessons, every Texas A&M player that spoke at the post game conference emphasized those lessons.?To a man, they proved they clearly understand the vision.?Each spoke about the roles other teammates played that contributed to their individual success.?They spoke of appreciation for the fans, many of whom were loud critics in previous week.?Each player provided a clear understanding of their role on the team and the part they play in the team’s success.?They were “Happy to do their job.” ?

To his credit, Alabama’s coach Nick Saban, reinforced the above lessons in his press conference.?

“When you get to the game, everyone wants to win.?Everybody wants to play well.?It’s what did you do well to get to the game? How did you prepare? What kind of habits did you create?”?Sound familiar??Where you focus, your energy will follow.?

Both coaches, one in victory and one in defeat, emphasized the same thing: the mindset of preparation. ?

Preparation helps you “carry those things into the game and eliminate bad plays.”?What kind of habits do you create in preparation? Establishing a great sense of purpose will help you create great habits. Where you focus, energy will follow.?

So… Do you choose to live in Vision or Circumstance???