What Kind of Streak Will You Start Today? 

Monday Morning Match is a quick post – maybe a quote, inspirational story or idea – intended to spark some motivation inside each of you so your week gets off to a fantastic start on Monday morning.

31 and Done

The streak had to come to an end at some point, right? The last time before Saturday night that the Florida Gators had lost a football game to the Kentucky Wildcats was in 1986. That was back when I was a UF student in Gainesville. The winning streak lasted 31 years. To put it in perspective, my wife Ronda started as a student at the University of Kentucky in 1987. We wouldn’t be married until 1993. She hasn’t seen this happen since her relationship with Kentucky even began and not since back in the day that we were pen-pals, exchanging notes and phone calls as friends.

As a loyal fan of the Gators in all sports, but especially in football, I really wanted the streak to continue but you know what? It didn’t, and I’m okay with that. I even tweeted about my peace with the loss the next morning.

What do you know? I woke up today and my life is gonna be okay. Sure, we lost a game to #Kentucky after 31 years of winning but as a #UF grad, I remember much darker days than today.

I have faith in @CoachDanMullen and see brighter days ahead for the #Gators 🐊🏈 pic.twitter.com/xSWs6X8tda

— Sean Carpenter (@seancarp) September 9, 2018

Maybe it’s my age? Maybe it’s the fact that this streak has been going on longer than my marriage to a UK grad? Maybe it’s the fact that I have some really good friends that are Kentucky fans like Nick, Mike, and Beckye, and my sister-in-law Shannon, and I am truly happy for them? Perhaps with maturity and wisdom (are they the same?), I realize I have no control over the outcome of the game and shouldn’t let it impact my mental health, my physical health or my personal relationships.

It’s just a silly streak, right? I’ve seen my team win multiple National Championships since I was a student so I can’t really complain without sounding like an entitled brat, right? We can always try to start a new one next year when the game will be played in Lexington or stop Kentucky from adding to their current streak…although I’ll argue that “one in a row” doesn’t count as a streak.

What Kind of Streak Are You On?

There are some good streaks out there like Joe Dimaggio’s famous 56-game hitting streak or the 111 games in a row that UConn Women’s Basketball won. Some streaks are painful like the Cleveland Browns still winless streak since December 2016 (although they did manage a tie yesterday vs. Pittsburgh).

If anyone is counting, I’m on quite a roll…

• I’ve woken up 18,596 days in a row. That’s also the exact same number of days that I’ve been the proud son to my parents and a younger brother to Jot who is 2 years older than me.
• I’ve been an older brother to Kevin for 17, 649 days in a row.
• I’ve been married for 9,214 days in a row.
• I’ve been a Realtor for 7,479 days in a row.
• My streak of being a #ProudDad has now reached 7,166 days.
• I have meditated 583 days in a row and checked in on the TimeHop app for 342 straight days.
• I haven’t missed posting a Monday Morning Match in over 6 years!

What kind of streaks could you focus on starting today? Maybe a new listing or a closed transaction every month would be nice? What if you could schedule an appointment a week for an entire year? Could you do a video blog (Vlog) every day for a month? A hand-written note for 30 days in a row? Once you hit 30 days, shoot for 60, 75, or 100 days in a row.

Do you floss every day? Your dentist surely would cheer you on during that streak, wouldn’t she? What about saying positive affirmations, kissing your spouse or partner, or simply starting each day with some thoughts of gratitude? Imagine if we all challenged ourselves to start a new streak today to smile every day? What if we followed the advice of former NC State basketball coach Jim Valvano and did just three things every day…

Another streak I have focused on that seems to help everything work out for the best is “building relationships, solving problems, and having fun.”

What kind of streak will you start today?