Surviving the madness in life as on the court

For most people, the happiness felt on Christmas morning makes it the most wonderful time of the year.
For me, the upcoming weeks potentially trump the holiday season with NCAA March Madness post-season basketball.
I love it.
The favorites. The underdogs. The upsets. The overtime thrillers. The buzzer beaters. The bracket busters. The Cinderella stories.
It brings a smile to my face as I anxiously await the first game’s tip-off that happens this morning.
As of today, 64 teams will compete for the title of National Champion … That’s 32 games played in the first two days.
You can turn the TV on at any point of the day to find a game taking place.
Everyone loves and wants to be a winner.
If we could choose, we would all want to be on the winning team … in sports, relationships, business and life in general.
While only one team will take home the trophy, 63 “losers” will wonder “What if?” and replay moments and plays that caused their season to end with a loss.
Winning is great, but how the majority handles losing can often be more important.
What is true in the world of sports is true in life.
Every moment matters, and we often depend on others to reach personal success.
Our families, friends and coworkers are like our teammates, and I personally would choose God as my coach to lead me to victory.
Our days are filled with both wins and losses, some big and some small, and if we only focus on the loss column, it becomes easy to get discouraged and lose heart in life.
Not all of us have arenas full of fans rooting us through our slumps, but hopefully we have surrounded ourselves with individuals that want us to hit the game winning shot.
Sometimes all you are trying to do is “survive and advance” to get to the next round of life because not all days are pretty.
Another common phrase used during March Madness that is applicable is, “There is a time to mourn and a time to dance,” to describe the emotions of the two teams at the end of the game.
One team celebrates as their dream of becoming a champion lives on, while the other team’s dreams are shattered.
While we cannot always choose which one we are, we should be able to control if we gave our best effort or not.
My bracket for life has changed a hundred times.
We are a generation that wants to plan our every move, but sometimes we just have to trust that our hard work has paid off, or that we will find a little luck.
My hope is that we keep moving forward round after round to become the best versions of ourselves.
But if anyone needs me the next few days, I’ll be calling a timeout in life and be on my couch watching basketball!