What Everyone Needs to Learn from Superbowl 51
Every spectator of yesterday's Superbowl can agree that the Patriots resilience shocked the world. Even if you weren't a spectator, and you simply heard how the game played out like myself, you can agree as well.
Whether you were rooting for the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons, you can learn a great deal of lessons from the entire outcome. During halftime the Falcons were dominating the New England Patriots 28 to 3. That's a huge 25 point lead. Many people, including myself (shame on me), had already counted New England out and predicted the Falcons as the winners by a landslide. Everyone assumed there was no way that the Patriots could make a comeback. Well, the Patriots had other plans as we all saw.
Now, what are the lessons that need to be learned here? Below are 3 things everyone could learn from New England's historical Superbowl comeback.
Never let off the gas peddle or underestimate your opponents
I think it's safe to say that the Falcons started to underestimate the Patriots once halftime came. If they didn't, they would've come out with the same or higher intensity they had in the 1st half. Simply put, they weren't able to close New England. They got comfortable, and like everyone viewing, believed they had it in the bag and that it was going to be an easy win. They thought "no way they're coming back from this." Their performance showed it in the second half. And oh boy were they wrong.
This is a very important lesson in business and life. When you're doing well in life, it's easy to let up off the gas paddle and take it easy. You begin to think that there's nothing that could go wrong. You become comfortable essentially. When this happens, this gives your competitors (if you're in business), and everyone else the chance to catch up. Never lose that momentum and hunger that you first started off with. If you do, you'll find yourself regretting it later. Keep your foot on the paddle and don't look back until you've reached the end.
Anything is possible
I don't believe in miracles and you shouldn't either. But what I do believe is that there are no limitations and that anyone can be great in life. In New England's case, they did the impossible. Many labeled their comeback as historical because that's something that has never been done before.
That goes to show that just because something has not been done before, doesn't necessarily mean that it won't or can't be done. They did the impossible and shocked everyone. If you're an individual whose dream is to do something big or incredibly difficult, go for it. Someone who comes from a not so good background can be the next Mark Zuckerberg for example. It's not impossible, it just may require lots of resilience and deaf ears when naysayers say that you can't do it.
Success is mostly psychological
I believe an individual's mental state is a huge indicator as to whether or not they're going to be successful at anything they do in life. I've seen many peers crash and burn in life due to giving up and having their mind overtaken by negative and counter-productive thoughts. I've also seen peers who excelled in many areas because they kept a "can-do" attitude and attacked their goals with optimism towards their future.
The Patriots would never have come back from a 25 point deficit if their mental state wasn't in check. This isn't debatable. In the locker room, they decided that they were not going to lose this Superbowl that easy. Had they come out of halftime with their hopes down and accepting the fate that everyone had already predicted for them, they wouldn't be the Superbowl 51 champions. Simple.
If you change your mental state and take control of your subconscious thoughts for your advantage, you eliminate any psychological barriers that prevent you from being great.
Wrapping it all up
Both teams put up a good fight and gave it their all. However, in the end, the team with the most resilience came out with the title. Whether you're a fan of the New England Patriots or the Atlanta Falcons, there's so many lessons that can be learned from their performance yesterday.