“The team that is able to embrace uncomfortable is the team that will win!”  ~ Nick Saban

This was a quote from the Head Coach of Alabama to his players at the beginning of the 2020 College Football season. My husband and I were fortunate enough to get tickets to the National Championship game this year – Alabama Crimson Tide vs. Ohio State Buckeyes.  Hard Rock Stadium is 45 min from our house and as many know, we are BIG Alabama football fans with 2 kids attending school there.

For Alabama fans, it was an amazing game.  Started off back and forth – 7-7, 14-14, 21-17…And then Bama took over!!  Admittedly, it is what we are used to seeing of Bama football, but there were concerns. Ohio State was undefeated and coming off a short schedule. Translated: they played a couple of significant teams but did not take the beating College football players consider the norm for a “regular” season.  OSU fans will say that they spent most of their season distracted from the continual COVID related setbacks and game cancellations.

• The Big 10 football conference cancelled their season. Then, changed their position and agreed to let it continue – about 6 weeks after other conferences started.
• Players tested positive for COVID throughout the season and a few games had to be cancelled because they could not field a full team.
• Opponent’s players tested positive and had to cancel their games against OSU
• Each week was filled with – will we play or wont we? In the end, rules were re-written to accommodate OSU to allow them to compete for the championship.

With this, why was Alabama, a team that played every single week against several ranked teams and teams that all came from a historically tough SEC conference, able to solidly beat Ohio State?

MINDSET!!

They all bought into the outcome that they wanted.  They were willing to put in the work, stay disciplined throughout their season, give up their typical social activities in favor of the end goal that they all wanted. Through their 10-game season, not one player tested positive for COVID!  They quarantined like many states (Alabama NOT being one of them) have been required to do – with 50+ players who then became their brothers.  The players were willing to be uncomfortable, to achieve the results they were looking for – the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP title.

You may be thinking to yourself – “I don’t play football and living and working with 50 sweaty, smelly young men is not going to happen!”  However, if you are someone who still watches the News media outlets, you are probably in a very uncomfortable place in your life right now.  After myself and my husband got COVID and recovered, I looked back and believed whole-heartedly that the worst part for us and our experience of COVID was the anticipation of testing positive for COVID.  It was the fear of the unknown.  I am 100% NOT trying to say that our experience is the same for many that have been hit very hard by this disease. COVID is known to have devastating results – As does the flu, Cancer, Diabetes, etc.  Yet, we have been able to live comfortablywith the possibility that we could one day have any of these ailments, and some will struggle, and some will come out on the other side and continue living their lives.

In business, COVID has affected companies in a different way.  With so many confined to their homes, small businesses that depend on walk-in traffic have suffered.  And many of those owners and workers are really uncomfortable with this loss of business.  As owners, managers, and employees of businesses that have lost revenue – how did you cope with having to leave your comfort zone??  Did you stay contently there, or did you jump out?  Those that will successfully make it through this pandemic have been able to change their mindset and focus on a positive end goal for themselves and their company.  There are so many ways to do this, such as:

• Re-evaluate your technology to be able to maintain your business model remotely
• Look at new business offerings that can drive increased revenue and is more Internet/Cloud friendly
• Be the LIGHT in this rainstorm that encourages others to follow your lead and KNOW that things will turn around
• Help out other small businesses whenever you can by continuing to order take out from local restaurants, buy products online from small businesses when you can, etc.

YOU have the ability to write a different ending to 2021 than what we saw in 2020.  But you have to Embrace your Uncomfortable.  Everyone’s comfort zone looks a little different.  Until you reach beyond your own comfort zone, you will not be able to see different results.  For me, I decided in November that 2021 would be different.  That was when we planned our annual Christmas Family vacation that we had previously said we were not going to do.  I made up my mind that 2020 was not taking that yearly time that I love with my husband and kids.  Yes, we are only a couple weeks in to 2021, but I like the results already!!

Here’s to a healthy prosperous 2021 to you all!!!