This weekend was a big weekend for sports fans. There was golf, hockey, soccer, basketball, and more. I think there was even a big football game in Tampa. There were competitions in the pros, at the college level, across the high school sports landscape and I’m sure there were some youth sports events played around the country as well.
In every case, the competitors in those events had people rooting for them, cheering them on, and lending their support. They were fans, friends, and family. Some of them were standing on the sidelines, some were watching from the stands, and many others were sending positive vibes from miles and miles away.
Our son Ryan was playing in The Bulldog Classic, his second golf tournament of the season down in Starkville, Mississippi, where he is a freshman at Mississippi State. While we couldn’t “watch”, we were able to follow his round virtually through an online scoring app. We were so proud of him for shooting a one-under-par round of 70 yesterday to finish in the Top 5 of the event, his best finish so far in the Professional Golf Management program events.
We pumped our fists as each hole was updated and he got closer to finishing. We nervously watched the other players’ scores and wished we were down there watching in person, the way we watched Ryan and his sister, Riley, so many times during their high school golf matches.
While he didn’t win, one of his fellow freshman classmates did win on the 4th playoff hole (way to go, Parker!) Chatting with Ryan after the round, he shared with us how he played and said he knew we were watching and cheering for him.
Of course we were watching.
We were cheering him from afar, the same way the families, friends, and fans of Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs and Tom Brady and the Buccaneers were cheering for them. It was neat to see Tampa Bay coach Bruce Arian’s 95-year-old Mom in the stands cheering for him on Sunday night, wasn’t it? The same way college alums and fans root for their teams all season long and other fan bases find ways to cheer and encourage their players, teams, programs, and clubs.
Who’s Cheering for You?
When you “get up, show up, and do the work” each day, do you sense the people cheering for you?
Do you feel the encouragement of your loved ones from the moment you leave home to the moment you shut your eyes and fall asleep at the end of a long day?
Do you feed off the support from your manager, broker, or coach?
Can you get motivation from your fellow coworkers and even competitors to build more relationships, solve more problems, and have more fun?
There’s no doubt that a positive attitude and self-belief is critical for any successful person but it sure does make it easier to give it just a little more when you know you have a loyal fan base supporting you, no matter what. Even if that fan base is just one person, that’s enough to make you keep showing up and giving it your best.
Have an awesome week ahead. Even though I might be far away, please know I’m up here cheering for you.