By David Tepera, January 12, 2018
There are many well-known professional athletes who are absolute beasts on the field, but are teddy bears off the field. These players are able to “flip the switch” in certain environments.
During my younger years, Michael Singletary of the Chicago Bears was a middle linebacker that scared every NFL team in league. He was part of the 1985 Super Bowl champions. The cameras always zoomed in on his eyes, which had the stare of a mad man. But, he was also known as one of the kindest gentlemen you’d ever meet.
Of course, there are countless athletes in each sport who can flip the switch, but few of today’s modern stars are Tim Tebow and J.J. Watt. Tebow’s reputation reflects strong religious values, but his on-the-field competitive spirit was fierce. Also, everyone reading this article knows about the $37 million Watt helped raised for Hurricane Harvey victims.
So, let’s think about ourselves. Don’t you agree it’s difficult to completely focus on work when there’s lots of personal and home responsibility? And on the flip side, when at home, don’t you get caught up thinking about all the deadlines and stresses of work?
Somehow, we must all learn to flip the switch. I personally struggle with this daily. I’m a single parent with a home office, and separating work from parenting is a constant battle.
My kids don’t need to know or hear the stresses my employer puts on me. This is my occupation decision, so I must find the positives because it allows me to raise these kids in a decent environment. When at home, I must focus on my kids, their youthful needs and continue to guide them to be good people.
And on the flip side, I must focus solely on my job and give the best to my employer. They hired me because their expectation is for me to perform at an elite level.
I know I’m giving my personal experiences, but I feel you can all relate according to your situation and experiences.
As long as you can become aware of this difficulty, learn to flip the switch, and become a beast at work and a teddy bear at home. I promise, your life will be a lot less stressful.