What is your latest victory?

Posted by Carrie Wilkerson in Uncategorized

V-I-C-T-O-R-Y! That's our campus battle cry!

'Tis the season! NO, not the holidays…FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!  I live deep in the heart of Texas and honestly, high school football is a subculture! You plan your traffic routes, weekends and wardrobes around the local team!

This year, we're immersed deeply because, not only am I an alum of the school where my kids attend, but my daughter is a die-hard marching band kid (like her dad and I were).  SO…I confess, my youngest daughters have tiny cheerleader uniforms. We all have matching spirit shirts and my parents have printed cushions they sit on at games.  We ARE a football & band family. 

I am, however, NOT a "football fan." The extent of my knowledge is: offense, defense, touchdown, field goal and half time (ok, ok – and concession stand…)  I am woman enough to admit that's all I know and I'm OK with that!.  I go to the game for the party! The crowd, the noise, the student performers and the mascot (we DO love those huge stuffed costumed characters, don't we?) In case you were wondering…that is a Porcupine hugging my children in the above photo. Would YOU mess with a porcupine? I thought not!

My absolute favorite parts of the game are the drill team, cheerleaders and marching band!  These kids spend a huge portion of their time eating, sleeping and breathing their roles.

• The cheer squad is responsible for hyping the crowd and leading us to ENCOURAGE the team when morale is down or when they make great plays!
  
• The drill team dances and entertains us and even if someone is out of step or falters, we clap and applaud and THANK them for the sacrifice of their time and talents!
  
• The band (what would we do without the music in the stands??) is the soundtrack of the evening! They provide the background music to every great play, cheer dances and even solicit crowd involvement! Then, they take the field and perform a series of drills and music that the majority of us would never attempt.
  

Do we watch for mistakes? NO! Do we listen for errors? I hope not! Do we clap and jump to our feet and EMPOWER our kids to keep up the great work? YES!

We are celebrating victories with each clap, whoop and blast of the air horn! We are patting kids on the back for hard work. We are causing younger students to aspire to be like these older kids with our affirmations! WOW!!!

Earlier this season, I would laugh inwardly at some of the athletes when I heard them re-telling the game later. Very rarely did you hear them remembering things that had gone wrong. Typically, they're heralding good plays, great scores and yardage gained. Sure, there were mistakes in the game, but how much MORE fun it was to celebrate their VICTORIES and focus their attention on the positive!!

Just because you and I are no longer (or perhaps have never been) in the Drill Team, on the Cheer Squad, in the Marching Band or on the team…doesn't mean we should stop celebrating our great plays and yardage gained!

Think of one positive thing you've done this week!  How about two?  I challenge you to get a post-it note and make a list of VICTORIES you've had this week and CELEBRATE!  Want to empower the team at your HOUSE? Make a list for each of your kids, your spouse or your colleagues and watch them SHINE as you applaud them!

I believe in Incredible YOU and we are limiting our effectiveness and influence if we are not as positive and energy-giving as we can be!

Be Beautiful! Be Positive! Be Blessed!