Monday Morning Quarterback

It was a heartbreaking Sunday if you were a Niners fan like me and a great day to be a Chiefs fan. Giving up a two-score lead in the 4th quarter and getting beat by two scores was unbelievable. In the end, it came down to which team did what they did all year long which was the Chiefs believing in their QB. And he saddled them on his young back all the way to the Lombardi trophy.

It is easy to be the back-seat driver or reflect this on a Monday morning. The decision to not run the ball on a 5-yard play and being conservative on several play calls hurt the Niners. All the credit to the Chiefs for playing a great game, and to the coaching staff under Reid for their schemes.

The Niners had a great season, have a very young roster and hence a great shot next year, but for now it is time to be thankful and faithful for the rebuilding that looks promising.

Like in this game, we often get blindsided with shiny objects and lose sight of our core strengths, as individuals or as a team and do not play to our strengths. It is this understanding of who we are, what we do, and what we are good at, that is simple to say but hard to practice and keep at. That’s what separates winners and losers - that clarity of thought to be purposeful in intent and confidence in our core strengths.

Even as a parent, I lose sight of this at times with peer pressure and worry that I stray from this principle of playing to one’s strengths even as I guide my teenage child through the high school coursework maze. Losing sometimes teaches you more than winning does and as I take this long flight to Ireland, I am thankful for the opportunity to remind myself to keep focusing on my key strengths that have brought me this far - Focus, Fortitude and Frugality!