THE BLIND SIDE Who Pats You on the Back For Persevering?
If you’ve seen The Blindside, you know you couldn’t ask for a stronger support team than the Tuohy Family. Based on the true story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized young man, who beat the odds to become a first round NFL draft pick, this movie proves what a strong support system can do for even the most unlikely of people.
Let’s face it, it’s not always easy to pursue a dream with no promise for pay-off, a dream that only a small percentage fully achieve. Therefore you need a solid support team! For Michael, his path to success was football. His support team was the love, encouragement, and persistent belief in him from the Tuohy family. Becoming a professional athlete is a long shot, but if you have the focus to train, and the heart to succeed, it’s worth it to take the shot. And it doesn’t hurt to be 6’4” and 309lbs.
In sports, having the physique and talent definitely increases your odds. However, in the entertainment industry, while you would think having talent would increase your odds, it doesn’t always. There are thousands of talented people who never made their mark for one reason or another. Should this discourage you? Heck no! What kind of article about perseverance would this be? I do want to draw your attention to the common theme in movies about perseverance such as Rocky, Rudy, and The Blind Side—they have “people in their corner.” Notice, I didn’t say “family.” Rudy’s father didn’t support his dream, Adrian wasn’t thrilled with the love of her life having his face beat to a pulp, and Michael’s mom cared more about crack than her son. But Rudy had a priest and a tutor, Rocky had Mickey, and Michael had the Tuohys in their corners.
Back to you; time to evaluate who’s in your corner and who’s not. Take a piece of paper and draw a line down the center.
At the top of the left column write: IN
At the top of the right column write: OUT
Then list people who are in your corner under the IN column (you can include me there) and list the people who don’t support you fully under the OUT column.
Now here’s the catch, this is an evaluation. Just because someone is under the OUT column, doesn’t mean they don’t love you, or want success for you. It simply means they don’t know how to support you in a way that meets your needs. Which means you are going to focus your energy by sharing success stories, challenges, and stories of your journey with the IN column.
And Action!
1. Make a conscious effort to turn to your support team when you need them and to resist the urge to share with the non-supporters (the later being a greater challenge then most anticipate).
2. Read quotes about perseverance by your role models.
3. Evaluate what you need to feel supported and share it with your support team, so they can fulfill your needs.
By surrounding yourself with a support team, you give yourself the gift of encouragement, motivational talks, and a pat on the back (or a hug) when you need it! Your support team will keep you going as the long haul gets shorter and shorter.
