When an athlete faces his opponent on the field, he faces an opponent who wants him to lose, to suffer failure, to get hurt. He wants to bring shame on his name. He wants his opponent to appear weaker than he; he wants to control his destiny.

Take a moment to define what your natural instincts are toward your own opponents. Do you try to outwit or outlast your opponents? Do you run away? Do you charge toward conflicts? Do you ask for help or look for someone to blame?

No matter what our offensive, defensive, or self-protective mechanisms are, how do we overcome our opponents? How do we gain the victory over those who seek to dim our light or knock our emotional block off? The following are some life lessons I’ve learned from the many opponents I’ve faced along the way.

**Know who you are! Take stock of your strengths, your weaknesses, your talents, and what character traits that most define you. You must know who you are and you must know your value in order to defeat your opponent.

**Know who your opponent is. Define who, exactly, your opponent is. Is it who they are as a person or is it what they represent that makes them your opponent? Do they bring out a fear in you? Do they represent an unfulfilled childhood need? Realizing the root cause of who your opponent really is will go a long way in defeating their tactics.

**Create Success. Whoever your ‘bogey’ man or woman is; whatever your internal opponent is; it’s essential that you create small successes on your way to more challenging opponents. Equip yourself with the proper tools for your mental and emotional toolbox and, as a result, sling your own internal strength and self-confidence toward your opponents.

Focus on the position you occupy. Thus far, we have looked at ways to overcome our opponents. However, in the end, it is the position we occupy that will bring success. Defeating our opponents does no good if it leaves us in a worse state than before. The ultimate goal is to improve our position. Our opponents will fall by the wayside, especially in our minds. The strength they once held over us will dissipate when our position becomes one of internal resolve and power.

I’d love to hear from you if you have developed your own set of tools for defeating your internal and external opponents. We can all benefit from the life wisdom we’ve gathered if we use that wisdom to help each other improve our position, uncover, and discover our most powerful weapon of all – us!

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I think our brains need a data dump regularly in order to run efficiently and clearly. Our minds, and even hearts, collect needless data from negative emotion, information overload, and clutter.

But how do we rid ourselves of the junk in the trunk that slows our operating system and causes us to run less efficiently? What’s the best way to perform a mental and emotional defrag from the daily overload that weighs us down?

Here are some helpful ways to defrag your overstressed mental and emotional state –

- Regular physical activity. Moderate to vigorous exercise reduces stress and helps keeps blood pressure and cholesterol at heart-healthy levels. It’s the best 30 minutes you can spend in your day. If you don’t have 30 minutes at one time, break it down into 10-15 minutes sessions.

- Eat healthy food. Sound boring? It doesn’t have to be. Make one small change a week instead of a crash denial program. You need that 1-oz of dark chocolate, or ¼ cup of your favorite nuts. It’s o.k. as part of a balanced nutritional plan. Incorporate leafy green vegetables into your plan. A simple sauté of sliced leeks and mushrooms is a great way to start. Also, try to get through two sipper bottles of water per day.

- Just laugh. Watch your favorite comedy movie or Comedy Central to get your laugh muscle working. Remembering a funny incident in your life can bring that smile of yours sneaking back on your face. Make it a daily habit to laugh at something.

- Take time everyday to enjoy your favorite activity. Reading, cooking, music, a nature walk, or taking a class can be a highly therapeutic activity to de-stress your brain.

Allowing your brain to survive on constant overload is not healthy…period. If you constantly overextend your body’s ability to perform, you risk burnout where your brain and body go into “sleep mode.” Your creativity dries up, your productiveness slows – you need a defrag, a brain “disk” cleaning. Life is a sum of daily choices so choose daily to engage in a data dump, even for just a few moments. Your mind and body will thank you!

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When this happens, it causes the team to step out of their comfort zone, both physically and in their current knowledge level. If they want to rule and reign on the field, they must re-adjust. This often happens at half-time if they’re getting their butts kicked.

I’ve been thinking a lot about this lately since I’ve had my own major game plan change. I started Winning Proof in July of 2008 so I’m approaching my 3rd anniversary. Anyone who has started a business knows most don’t go from 0 to 100 mph in 6 months…or even two years. It takes time for a business to mature and develop and grow a niche. It’s often necessary to supplement with another job until your business is fully supporting you financially.

Well, in California, getting any type of job is easier said than done. After being downsized again, I could not secure a single job to supplement my business efforts in spite of continued effort. My unemployment and all its extensions had run out and it was indeed a scary time. I had many discouraging days and toward the end of 2011, I was living on financial fumes and prayers.

Enter – Game Plan Change

The short playbook version is – I needed a drastic game plan change if I was going to survive. I had visited North Carolina on a vacation a couple of years prior and had fallen in love with the state. Well, it was time to jump start my environment and life situation. In light of that fact, I sold all my furniture and had a garage sale to fund my move and I relocated cross country to North Carolina at the end of March. All I had left was 72 boxes full of my kitchen contents, clothes, and some household items which traveled via van lines. I drove my 1996 Honda Civic with 245,000+ miles across country to a new, unknown land. I had a temporary place to stay with an acquaintance. Shortly after my arrival, my car was in hospice because that long trek proved too much for the ol’ girl.

I’ve been here for a little over 2 ½ months now and some amazing things have happened in that short time. I have a p/t night job, a day job that I love, a 2010 Toyota Corolla, a place of my own, and I’ve had the privilege of meeting a handful of my local sports industry Linkedin connections. My business is alive and well and once again gaining momentum. I attribute all these changes to a boatload of my praying friends in California and a mega dose of motivation and resourcefulness.

The point of telling you my story is to prompt you to look at your current game plan and really analyze if it’s working for you. Don’t be afraid of giving yourself a half-time pep talk and deciding if a game plan change is in order. Step out of your comfort zone and take a chance.

Is it scary? Absolutely! Fear of the unknown is one of the strongest fears you’ll ever experience. I was in a new state, new town, not knowing where stores and hospitals were; not knowing the freeway system…not knowing a soul except for the person I shared the space with.

Is stepping out on faith into a brand new adventure worth it? The answer again is…absolutely! Is a game plan change always in order? Nope. Sometimes we are called to stay and tough it out but only wisdom and maturity can determine when to stay and when it’s time to move ahead.

If you’re considering a game plan change; pray, consult with trusted friends and clergy, and do your research. Blind faith will lead you down a slippery path and into brick walls – do your due diligence to make sure your plan is realistic and will provide better opportunities for you. A healthy dose of genuine faith will keep your eye fixed on the goal line.

So, if your opponents (financial distress, personal stalemate, lack of business opportunity, etc.) are whipping your butt, consider a game plan change. Not only will you gain valuable life-lesson yardage, you just might experience a victory!

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My exodus date to leave Southern California is early on March 27th. My aggressive plan is to blog my way across the states and tell you of the sights I see, the people I meet, and the lessons I learn along the way. And for those of you worrying about a ‘mature’ woman driving alone across the U.S., please rest your mind…I have a friend flying from NC to help me make the trek in my 1996 Honda Civic with 244,500+ miles. I’m selling my furniture and will start anew when I’m settled there; a new game plan deserves a fresh environment. I’ve seen this principle in action while watching NFL games.

In the NFL, when a team is getting their butt kicked, a new game plan is often enacted, depending on the strategy the other team is using. New offensive and defensive plays are put in place to confuse the opponent. This becomes the ‘edge’ the losing team needs to overcome their opponent and often results in winning the game. While I’m not losing any game, I can see it’s time to change my own offensive and defensive life plays to gain that extra edge going forward.

You know when you decide to make a bold move and everything just lines up perfectly? People you might not know well, come your way to support your efforts? Money comes out of nowhere to help support your dream? You’re able to let go of things that have served their purpose in your life? That’s how this migration has been. I don’t just have my eyes on the destination; I am enjoying the journey!

Think about your life and make the bold move to step out in faith toward a dream you’ve nurtured for awhile. Let go and move on!

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An onside kick is usually a last-ditch effort to win the game. It’s a “desperate times call for desperate measures” type of play. The kicking team stacks their players on one side of the field and then kicks the ball to that side. Both sides use what they call their hands team, players who are especially adept at handling the ball.

Enough of the lesson. How does the onside kick strategy apply to you and me as business people? At times, do you find yourself behind in your game; your business and sales are lagging and you think everyone on the earth has lost your phone number? Maybe illness or family issues have followed you into the New Year and your motivation has waned. Perhaps the economy has caused a fumble to your monetary resources and you need an emergency play to get you those 10 yards.

You need to get the ball back…you need to score and soon. How can you move the ball those 10 crucial yards?

1. Stack your resources by making an inventory of your education, work history, skill set, knowledge, contacts, and industry experience. Write it down – all of it.

2. Explore your options by comparing what you have to offer with what you really enjoy doing. If you’re reading this, you’re most likely an adult business person with an expiration date stamped internally. Why waste time in a profession that doesn’t bring you fulfillment? Is that what you were created for? I think not.

3. Position yourself in your market as the go-to resource. This doesn’t mean you have to be the very best in your market; you simply have to position yourself as the go-to person. Bring your hands team value and articulate it favorably in the eyes of your target prospects.

Try an onside kick to get your game back!

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A smart quarterback is master at reading the opposing teams’ defense and calling changes at the LOS (line of scrimmage). Payton Manning is, in my opinion, the smartest quarterback of all time. There are many other powerful quarterbacks, but Manning is the smartest, followed by Tom Brady. They may not be my favorite QB’s, but I respect their ability to intelligently lead their teams.

How does this relate to you as a business person? Plenty. As you act as the quarterback of your company, you need to “read” current business trends as well as respond and make quick decisions based on those trends. You’ll need to be prepared to “shift” as you see changes in your competition and the economic climate. What is the best way to be a smart company quarterback?

1. Educate yourself. The best way to anticipate trends is to be a proactive trend hunter. Do some online research to discover the latest trends. Most successful businesses are born through spotting trends and meeting a need that those trends reveal. Trend spotters are the ones who make friends with the future and create innovative solutions to perceived needs.

2. Identify and Analyze the REAL competition. As a smart company QB you will in essence, “study game tape” to know your competition inside and out. By evaluating your competition, you’ll gain intellectual access to their weaknesses and vulnerabilities, and thus you’ll be ready to fulfill the unmet needs of the client. You’ll also gain knowledge and power in the process on how to most effectively serve your clients.

3. Position yourself for success. When players shift, they have to come to a stop before the play begins. Use the knowledge gained from the previous two steps to stop and position yourself as the most desirable, most logical choice. It’s natural for clients to shop for the best deal and solution so encourage your clients to compare in the areas where you have a favorable edge. You can prosper and gain a significant advantage even with higher prices if you set yourself apart by providing something the competition does not. When you’ve identified what your competition is not providing, and make that your mission, clients will naturally be drawn to you.

When you’re in the set position at your company’s LOS and you “read” that the defense (competition) has shifted, you have options. Try the steps above; educate, identify, and position. Know and identify the trends and position yourself to capitalize on inevitable shifting. You will become a smart company quarterback who knows how to lead your team to victory.

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The pre-game show analysts include journalists, former athletes, and ex-coaches who chant their opinions about player-to-player match-ups and who they believe will win with friendly banter and stifled adrenaline. Ultimately, they give you, the fan, a checklist of things to watch for during the game, including key injuries and superstars.

How does all this relate to being a self-employed entrepreneur? For you, your pre-game show is all about preparation – preparation to run your business with clarity and efficiency. Let’s move through some pre-game show steps so you can enjoy your “business game” to the fullest.

1. Team match-ups – Just as coaches study game film so they can identify weaknesses and strengths in the opposing team, I study my competition regularly so I know who I’m up against in the business world. What are they offering that I’m not? How well do they service their clients? What is their USP (Unique Selling Proposition) and how do they leverage it to score more clients? Be diligent to study your team match-ups – my guess is that you’ll discover what uniquely sets you apart from the competition and, as a result, you’ll add more plays to your success playbook.

2. Stats Are Learned – Tex Noel, Executive Director of Intercollegiate Football Researchers Association, (www.secsportsfan.com/college-football-association.html) and author of four books on college football’s statistical histories, knows firsthand that stats are learned and that you really can love the little buggers. Tex recently told me that he was not a whiz at math throughout school but has a natural aptitude for historical sports stats.

Do you have to love stats to have a successful business? Not really, but taking a few moments every week to analyze your web stats for page views will be time well spent. Analyze your blog posts and social media sites to see how many likes, comments, and tweets you’re getting. It may seem like a waste of time but just a few minutes will yield a better understanding of how to adjust your website content and cater to your prospective clients’ preferences.

3. Checklist (foresight of what to watch for) I have found the most profound thing to watch for is my own personal growth through self-employment. Paul Hawken says, “Being in business is not about making money. It’s a way to become who you are.”

Since you still have to live on this earth, money ranks right up there with oxygen in importance but it doesn’t have to define who you really are. Football players do not learn the game in theory only – they learn from being on the field; running and hitting and blocking and falling…and getting back up.

You don’t learn about business from reading your business plan or from burying your head in books. While I have gained a ton of knowledge from reading business and personal development books, my real lessons have been “on the field” by running to the right contacts, hitting my mark with quality service, blocking naysayers and negative influences, and falling down in discouragement…and getting back up.

So, let your pre-game show begin. Equip yourself by knowing your match-ups, getting a handle on your stats, and actually playing the game. After all, you’re the star of the show!

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“So what?” you might be asking. Well, I started pondering recently how much we really depend on this electro-mechanical tool and how it makes our hearts either pound like a sledge hammer trying to ring the bell at the County Fair, or sink like the Titanic.

If you had a scoreboard for your business, what would it look like? What would the score be if you were the home team and your competitors were the visitors? Is your heart pounding or sinking?

What would your stats look like? First and ten for social media efforts? Third and long for marketing results? Two touchdowns for two new clients? Uh oh, a difficult client blitz causes you to be sacked and lose yardage. Ineffective networking causes a fumble.

You do need to be mindful of your business scoreboard and what it’s displaying. Take time often to evaluate what’s working and what’s not. What efforts are you expending with little or no results? Maybe it’s time to outsource or do away with a particular activity. Make a list of activities that are high-leverage, high-yield and focus on those.

Take a look at your social media activities – are they expanding or are they stagnant? Choose the most productive of your social media platforms (for me it’s Linkedin) and devote 30 minutes a day to invite others to connect, answer questions, and send notes to a few connections at a time – and don’t always be in “sell” mode. Just reach out and say hello and ask if there’s anything you can do to help them.

Call more plays for focused high-leverage, high-yield activities and watch your score increase. Watch your stats go from good to great. Watch how you “control the clock” and your productivity will dramatically increase.

Take charge of your scoreboard and win the business game!

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The game clock stops with a change of ball possession, an incomplete pass, a penalty, when a player goes out of bounds, an injury, when a player’s equipment becomes detached or damaged, a team scores a touchdown, field goal, or safety, or when a team calls a time-out. There are even special rules that apply during the final two minutes of a game and for overtime.

Like I said, the clock rules on the field and the sidelines. This is the way football is organized and it works.

As an independent business person, your game clock determines when your day starts and ends, when a time-out is needed, when your most productive hours are, and when you meet with clients. How can you organize your day so you reap the maximum benefits from your game clock?

1. Decide a general work schedule that allots time for business development, personal needs, family, and client time. Allow about 25% for daily personal needs time. Include a Plan B – a network of friends or business associates in case you have an emergency that calls you away from your business.

2. Prioritize your daily schedule by identifying high-leverage activities which will produce more clients and, as a result, more revenue. Tackling the most dreaded items on your to-do list and deadline-oriented items first will help tremendously. As Nike puts it, Just Do It. Prioritize your schedule according to your personal body clock.

3. Discover the power of outsourcing tasks that aren’t the best use of your time. I recently needed some data entry for 770 names, addresses, and phone numbers into an Excel spreadsheet. I went on Guru.com and requested a quote. For $25.00, a precious gal in Uruguay entered all the contact information accurately within a few days. Outsource anything that isn’t a high-leverage activity and for tasks that you just plain don’t like to do.

4. Take time daily to reduce stress and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Implement the 50/10 rule and work for 50 minutes and step away from your desk for ten minutes. I’ve found that weight training and/or walking first thing in the morning increases my energy level throughout the day. You’ll not only burn calories, you’ll sleep better.

Eat a healthy snack or meal every three hours to maintain healthy blood sugar levels and a steady stream of energy. Don’t forget to walk away from your desk and stretch often – hip flexors get very tight and your shoulder/back muscles become rounded if you continually sit in a chair for several hours a day. On rainy days, do a few sets of jumping jacks, or use a jump rope. Do some squats or stationary lunges and a few push-ups to get your blood pumping. Resistance bands are great for indoor resistance/strength training workouts. www.medstac.com has a full body workout printed right on the band – great for traveling too!

5. Establish your own holidays. Take time to relax your body and mind. Turn off your computer and other electronic devices – don’t worry, you won’t die. Take the day off here and there and go on a day trip. If you need creativity for your work, this will do wonders to re-charge your creative battery and install fresh, new ideas in your relaxed brain. Celebrate business anniversaries and milestones with a nice dinner or other treat.

6. Make your game clock work for you. Stay organized. Reserve a little time at the end of each day to organize your desk, put away papers, and make a prioritized to-do list for the next day.

Implementing these simple steps will help you feel more in control of your business and not like it’s controlling you. Michael Gerber discusses this in his wonderfully practical book, “The E-Myth Revisited.” Taking the time to put organizational systems in place will give you the freedom to enjoy your business and not feel like you’ve created another j-o-b for yourself.

Now, start the game clock…there’s a doozy of a game to get underway!

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Even though blitzes exist only in football, you can be blitzed in your life and business as well. Just as defensive players rush the quarterback, circumstances or people can blitz, or rush in; catching you off guard and causing you to make swift decisions under pressure. A blitz might even hit your blindside and you’re sacked.

Some blitzes that might come your way are financial setbacks, health concerns, negative family members who don’t support your vision, well-meaning friends who don’t understand your chosen path, or perhaps a series of unexpected events that seek to derail you from achieving your goals.

What can you do to prepare for the blitzes of life and, more importantly, how can you successfully make a blitz adjustment? After all, just like football, life is a head game and it’s in your attitude that you’ll win or lose.

The Blitz Adjustment – A blitz adjustment requires a quarterback to go to the hot receiver. Who’s your hot receiver? Your wife? Your husband? A trusted colleague? A pastor? Take the time to develop and build strong relationships with key people in your life and you will never lack for a hot receiver who has your back in times of need. Be that person for others too.

Call an Audible – If a quarterback sees the defense aligned for a blitz, he can call an audible at the line. If you see circumstances stacked against you, it’s up to you to recognize if they’re simply distractions, an all-out assault on your peace of mind, or specifically sent to you to teach you how to deal with this particular life formation. Sometimes, it calls for speaking positive life and words into the situation and looking for the good in it…and there’s good in every situation if you look hard enough. Other times, it’s a call to prayer and surrendering the circumstance to a Power beyond your own. For me, it’s God Himself who reveals His power and peace in the midst of challenging times, through His Word.

Pick up the Blitz – Good field vision is essential for picking up the blitz. For the business person, when life blitzes come your way, it means seeing the big picture, the end result. It means being proactive in creating solutions, not being reactionary and feeling victimized. An offensive lineman must have quick feet and be bent at the knees so he can create more force toward the blitz. Your mental and emotional ability to pick up an oncoming life blitz will make the difference between you going to the next level or simply settling for the status quo.

You can’t always predict when blitzes will come…but they will come. However, being prepared with mental toughness and emotional resolve will determine what a powerful internal force you can possess when life blitzes come your way. Even though a life blitz might force an adjustment, you’ll be prepared because you will have developed strong relationships along the way, you’ll know how to speak powerful words of life into the situation, and you’ll be proactive in creating positive solutions.

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