Life is a lot like a four quarter game of footy: Sounds like a peculiar analogy right?
Let me break down the rationale behind it for you! A Rugby League game goes for 80 minutes (or a little longer when playing extra time!) and in four quarter footy, each quarter is 20 minutes in duration. In the game of life, the average quality life span is around 80 years. It could be argued that anything over 80 years is equivalent to the extra time played in a footy match correct?
The first 20 years of life is a lot like the first quarter of a footy game. We are settling in and getting a feel for how things flow and setting ourselves up for what is to follow.
The second 20 years is where we put the “stuff” we learned in the first quarter into practice and hopefully we start to make some real progress. However..... just like the experience of many footy teams, the second quarter of life quite often doesn’t work out so great and certainly not how we may have planned or visualised. The lessons that we learned don’t seem to result in the type of outcomes we’re happy with, and life suddenly seems to be not as enjoyable as we predicted. For many people, the game plan that they were working to wasn’t effective and they’re behind on the scoreboard of satisfaction when they get to 'half time'.
I have played in many games of footy where as a team we have been behind on the scoreboard at half time, the sheds the mean discussing tactics on what to change to be in with a chance of winning the match. This is akin to the “mid-life crisis” that many people experience around the age of 40. In actual fact, it’s not a crisis but rather a realisation that something had to change if one’s life satisfaction is going to improve.
Can you see where I am going with this?
If the changed game plan is effective, a losing team can turn the scoreboard around and coast to victory in the last quarter. In the game of life, a similar winning outcome is possible for dissatisfied individuals if they are courageous enough to break habits, confront their “mid-life crisis” and work to their strengths and passions. Such work requires a brave heart and a committed soul in order to “Break-free” from the non-aligned state of being to create a genuine transformation of one’s spirit and sense of purpose.
Do you feel you are 'winning' at the game of life? Is it a close call where the game could go either way very quickly? Or are you falling more behind each minute?
Decide where you are at and let's get tactical! Wherever you are at there is still a whole half or if not quarter to turn this game around!
What is working?
What is not working?
Realistically what am I capable of changing vs what factors (if any) are out of my control?
List the changes, visualise them in practice, implement them.... WIN!
It's time to get the end result you want, the result you imagined when this 'game' first kicked off!
Wayne