Christien Louviere

I tend to relate life through sports. I’ve been in some sort of organized sport since I was 5, so athletics have always proved good metaphors for me when I’m trying to bring things into perspective. They teach so many lessons that are transferable through life.

It doesn’t matter if your pinnacle was PE, little league, high school, college walk-on or the level of Brett Favre. Did you compete? We learn and adapt the most when we are pushed. It builds character that leads to courage which is an element of leadership.

One reason it is so easy to make metaphors from sports are that the results are relatively immediate. It’s black and white. There is no gray area. If the Green Bay Packers lose on Sunday, then I know where they stand that day; and how it affects the rest of the league, which is unlike everyday life where we may not know the results of our actions until weeks, months or even years later. Also, sports help relieve our pain. At the core, they’re just a game. After Katrina, people in New Orleans wanted high school football. After 9/11, people wanted the Mets versus the Yankees. This weekend at the Duke/UNC basketball game, there will be a moment of silence for Eve Carson. One of Brett Favre’s best games was played on a Monday Night after his father died…sometimes we need that break. The most important factor is that fans are emotionally attached to players, teams and/or cities. In America, it’s a fun passion where 50% of the crowd always gets along. Sporting events are like a hurricane of emotion. They don’t discriminate. They create strong response. They make people anxious. They bring people together.

Even if you’re not an NFL fan, I highly suggest you find a clip of Brett Favre’s announcement on YouTube or ESPN. Today, many complain that pro athletes have forgotten from where they came. Brett has not. He commented that his teammates are the reason for his accomplishments and that his position demands the limelight not him. This is something that many seem to forget. He genuinely cares about people. I see it in his eyes and hear it in his words. He is an unselfish man. If he were selfish, then he would just play the three hours each Sunday and not put in the prep time. He said that he no longer had the energy required to put in more than those three hours per week. The amount of time spent prepping for one football game versus any other sport I’ve played is ridiculous. It’s a job 6 days a week for 1 day of fun, and Brett loved that formula for over 20 years.

I use guys like Favre as a metaphor for my life. I may not be a pro athlete or have my life filmed (that could be scary-funny), but I’m doing the best I can with the path I’ve created. I always want to surround myself with people who can make me better and find ways to help propel them. Favre thanked God, as many do, for the gifts he has. I don’t really care who Favre worships. The important thing to me is that he acknowledges that there is something bigger than him. That’s important. It keeps him grounded and well-rounded. In my eyes, I could meet him for a drink and never speak a lick about football because he’s diverse.

Brett knows two ways to life…all-the-way or no-way. The only three things really matter at the end of the day, the season or life are the quality of relationships with family/friends you have, the investments you made in the people you mentored and did you do everything within your power to put yourself in the best position to be successful?