Hope, Faith, and Football
On January 1, 2007, the Boise State Broncos shocked the country by upsetting the powerhouse known as the Oklahoma Sooners in the Tostitos Fiesta Bowl. At the same time, the Broncos showed, in a David vs. Goliath battle, that hope, faith, and preparedness can be recipe for greatness.
I was lucky enough to be at this game. I must admit that I lost faith; it seemed that the there were so many things that
had to go “right” for Boise State to win the game after losing a 17 point lead and falling behind with only 1:30 left in regulation. Sooners fans filed out of the stadium, bound to get an early break on the traffic, to only listen to the game going into double overtime on their car radios.
There is a great article from the New York Times about how this game even inspired the numbed sportswriters in the press box to believe that great things were possible.
This is not a football blog post though. This is a New Year’s post about the importance of hope, faith, and positive thinking in each of our businesses. We must be prepared. Boise State would not have succeeded if they had not been completely prepared. However, almost more importantly, when it seems that the odds are against you, there is never an excuse to give up hope. Hope costs you nothing. Great things happen every day; they’re not just on the SportsCenter highlights.
When setting your company goals this year, remember the nuts and bolts, but don’t ever forget the hope and faith that must accompany every day that you run your business and face adversity. A little team from Idaho stunned the nation; everything did go “right” for them that day. When you are faced with adversity in your business, don’t forget the Broncos.
Author: Alexandra Gibson
Alexandra is the CEO of Gibson Design Management and Managing Partner of interior design firm, Gibson Design Group. When she's not busy trying to build an empire, you can find Alexandra riding a horse, giving back to the community, playing with her Scottie, McCord, or drinking a martini (preferably not all four at once).
Follow Alexandra on TwitterTags: adversity, Alexandra Gibson, Boise State, Broncos, faith, football, Gibson Design Management, goals, hope, Interior Design, Oklahoma Sooners, preparedness
This entry was posted on Monday, January 4th, 2010 at 1:33 pm and is filed under Business Development, Running an Interior Design Firm. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Excellent post – both for the pertinent points and for the great reminder of such a watershed moment in major college football. (Nothing better than the big boys getting knocked down by the little guys.) The ultimate way BSU won that game with the huge trick play at the end is also a reminder to be willing and daring enough to take a risk – even at a critical juncture. Of course, the risk itself becomes much more of a calculated risk through the preparation to which you refer.
The line that really strikes me from the post: “Hope costs you nothing.” That’s bulletin board material.
And I would add that, on the other hand, anxiety and worry are very expensive processes that seldom generate any real return.