It’s the beginning of February, which means everyone is talking about one of three things:
- The seemingly endless frigid temperatures…
- If Valentine’s Day is a real holiday…
- The Super Bowl.
I’m here to talk about the latter.
Love them or hate them, the Patriots are in it again. And with them comes Tom Brady, everyone’s favorite quarterback to hate. He’s arguably one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time and he’s taken that franchise to a record-setting nine Super Bowls. Sure, some will say he might be past his prime, but there’s no denying his achievements and successes.
And with that, his failures.
We all remember the team getting caught videotaping their opponents, thus creating “Spygate” in 2007. And the under-inflated footballs that resulted in millions of dollars in fines and Brady getting suspended, earning the name “Deflategate” in 2015.
And, of course, the various accusations against coach Belichick for having intel on what plays his opponents are going to run, and having strategies to beat them.
Did any of that stop Mr. Giselle Bündchen? Not a chance. Like it or not, the guy is unstoppable!
He’s gone on to throw what seems like a million game-winning drives and interceptions, not letting mistakes of his past get in his way. He’s owned them, amended them, and turned them into opportunities. He’s changed his perspectives and has been proactive in his own resolutions.
That’s something we can all take out of the Tom Brady playbook.
In the post-game press conference after the win against Kansas City, reporters wanted to know how Brady manages to stay so calm in big moments. His response? “Part of playing sports is just staying in the moment. You know, we always say ‘one play at a time.’ You can’t make up for things that have happened in the past. You’ve just got to think about what you’re going to do moving forward.”
It’s hard not to get caught up in the downward spiral of your mistakes, or to get swept away in celebrating your successes. But this doesn’t mean that you don’t learn from your mistakes, or that you never celebrate your successes. It just means not letting those mistakes and successes define you.
So whether you’re a Patriots fan or a Rams fan, Tom Brady has something to teach us. Let your actions define you. One play at a time.
— Molly Graham
Susan Graham Consulting
