This Play Is Under Review

I was catching the latest on my favourite sportscast when the highlights showed a tennis match that ended when one of the players stopped playing after the referee called his shot out. His opponent kept playing and returned the shot to an open court. Upon the review, the ball was actually in but the call stood because his opponent kept playing and put himself in position to win by returning the shot, blocking out the referee’s call. The losing player was rightfully upset but even after protests, a tantrum, and a verbal barrage, the call stood.

I saw a similar situation a few weeks back watching football when a player made a catch, then fumbled the ball. The call on the field was an incomplete pass but after review, it was actually ruled a catch but because no one picked the ball up, the play did not stand and both teams missed out because everybody had stopped after the initial call. In both of these instances, the referee’s got the call wrong and it affected the outcome of each game.

These two examples happen every day in our lives. Sure, we may not make Sportsdesk or Live at 5 but too often we do not block out the noise that holds us back from achieving what is rightfully ours. Maybe it is as simple as overcoming a fear or it could be walking away from negativity in our lives. This could come in the form of work, relationships, friends or bad habits. Whatever limits us to less than perfect is not the answer to any of the questions in our personal game of jeopardy. We are all meant for more.

The discovery of the next level is like going to overtime in a playoff game. You have to get to overtime first if you want to have a chance to win. The old saying that you play through the whistle has never been more truthful than today in sports. Everything is reviewed. The sad reality is the replay booth may be when we make it to the rocking chair. We do not want to be in shock when we reflect on our lives only to discover that we were close to our dream when we gave up. Playing to win and losing is a lot better than giving up before we ever discovered what we were capable of. I would rather watch highlights instead of a blank screen when life flashes before my eyes.