We are all in preseason

By David Tepera, August 2, 2017

For those of us who love all levels of football, preseason is finally upon us. Players and coaches are getting ready with the highest expectations for a winning season.

Everyone must take lessons of last year and make the improvements necessary to strategize a championship run.

Recently, I was having a discussion with my teenage children as they are experiencing steps into adulthood. To me, each phase of young life is equal to a sport’s preseason.

Let’s think about this. High school relationships or so called “puppy love” is really lessons with hopes of becoming a better understanding spouse in the future.

Remember your first job? Hopefully, you learned the importance of dependability, work ethic, money management and interacting with the real world. This experience should make you a better employee or the desire to be an employer.

Even the caring of pets is important because one day your children will become parents.

How important was schooling through all the years of our young lives? Not all of us will pursue college for a variety of reasons, but we all go through an educational system until the age of 17 or 18. Besides the academic piece, there are many life lessons learned through this process to prepare us for adulthood.

Are you starting to realize how the importance of preseason is more than just sports?

Where are you today? What are you striving for tomorrow? Did you learn anything from yesterday? You must ask yourself these questions on a daily basis.

You see, preseason is the opportunity to make multiple mistakes. Even though we are constantly trying to figure out ways of creating a better life, we must also realize what’s holding us back. These lessons will help us prepare for the future and reach our goals.

It doesn’t matter where you are today. Just recognize from your decisions and a variety of circumstances has created your present day. Take back control of your life and start a new journey.

I repeatedly tell my children “learn from the past, live for today, and prepare for tomorrow”.

Remember, you’re in preseason, so just keep pushing forward.