Drive. Align. Shift. Spirit Driving Institute Blog

A Football Analogy for Shifting Your Perspective

I had a chance to watch an interview with Peyton Manning on NFL Today yesterday morning. James Brown asked him about his rehab progress. Peyton made some great comments that sparked my interest. I'll paraphrase below.

He said that he's always had pre-season goals and post-season goals. Now he has rehab goals. Also, he mentioned that he needs to be patient with getting better and not look too far ahead to predict the future of his career.

There are many times in our careers where something happens that throws us for a loop. In Peyton Manning's case, he sustained several neck injuries that have taken him out of the game for 12 weeks. Prior to that, I'm sure he had set goals on how many games the team would win, yards he would throw, and touchdowns he would help make. Now circumstances have caused him to throw those goals out the window. Instead of focusing on goals related to winning, he has had to shift his perspective to focus on getting and staying healthy.

Sudden changes in our lives or careers can force us to drastically change our goals. You may have had plans for getting a promotion, making more sales, hiring more people, or creating a new program or product. Then, the unexpected happens. Maybe you have a change in your health or the health of someone in your family. Maybe you lose a contract that was a "sure bet". Or, maybe you have to divert your funds to another unexpected expense. Any of these events can force you to retool and review your current goals.

Does it mean that you've failed at your goals when these events pop up? Not at all. You can view these as challenges or struggles (referred to as Potholes or Wrong Way--Go Back Signs in my book, respectively). Challenges/Potholes are normal parts of our path that provide us with growth opportunities. Struggles/Wrong Way--Go Back Signs are supernatural barriers that indicate we might want to take a different path. Only after reviewing the big picture can you figure out which one the event represents.

I am currently in a "shifting my perspective" mode as I evaluate my life and career. I have so many balls in the air and need to slow down and focus on what's most important. As my journey unfolds, I'll offer more insight into my process through future blog posts.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear how you plan to use Peyton Manning's perspective to re-evaluate what is currently happening in you professional life.

About Leila Johnson

Leila (pronounced 'Layla') Johnson's book, Driving to Success: Let Your Spirit Take the Wheel, was released on May 20, 2010 as an e-book and on October 21, 2010 in paperback. It is a spiritual retreat for overachieving entrepreneurs and professionals who want to redefine the answer to "What do you want to be when you grow up?". Since 2003, Leila has co-owned and managed their full-service, award-winning Web and communications firm, VelaMira, Inc. dba Data-Scribe® with her husband. As part of her journey on the road of life, Leila has earned her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and in the Metaphysical Sciences. Prior to starting her business, Leila worked as a call center coach, curriculum developer, and trainer in the financial and insurance industries. Leila's sites are http://www.spiritdriving.com and http://www.datascribe.biz.