My parents were in town this weekend. Since I graduated from the University of Delaware, we make it a point to attend one football game every fall. This year, since a travel destination on their schedule was so close to my home, we enjoyed an away game at Towson University here in Maryland.

While Delaware did have a great record going into the game, what we didn’t know was that Towson was ranked 7th nationally. And on top of that, one of their running backs was an All-American athlete.

Needless to say it was a rocky start and by the fourth quarter, with a little over four minutes left in the game, Delaware was losing by 21 points. Towson had the ball looking to score and we were getting cold- and bored.

My husband and father were itching to go, giving my mother and I looks of “Let’s get out of here!” We all agreed we’d leave after the Towson offensive drive as we didn’t want to get up in the middle of a play, blocking another spectator’s view.

All of a sudden, Towson didn’t score and UD was getting the ball back!

Yes, they were still down 21 points, but I looked at my Mom and started to reason. “Well, if we score RIGHT now and then somehow miraculously get the ball back and get an on-side kick and… ” (going on and on about the miracle that had to happen to pull a win out from thin air).

Well that’s just what they did!

The University of Delaware football team came back and scored not only 21 (which they were down, remember) but 22 points when they went for a 2-point conversion on the final play with only seconds left. They wound up winning the game 32-31! We were in SHOCK!

The fans were cheering their hearts out. People were standing, jumping, throwing high-fives from left to right. My family and I were yelling so loud and so hard that my throat was sore after the game. But they won… they pulled it out and they came back and won.

Why am I telling you all of this?

You have every right to be wondering, “What does football have to do with our wellness journey?” And here’s what the two have in common. I’d like to share 3 simple secrets to reaching the wellness goals of  your dreams:

• You’ve got to have faith. And by faith, I don’t mean religion. But you’ve got to believe in yourself and what you’re going after. Some people say: “I’ll believe it when I see it.” But that’s wrong. The real truth is actually: “See it when you believe it.” If you want to make changes- any sort of well-being shifts- you have to believe that you can.
• You can’t give up. When we set a goal, what usually happens is we see small successes. That’s because initially we’re focused on it- so we attract little wins our way. But what happens next? Life! The old routine comes back into play. Habitual patterns creep in. It is harder and harder to sustain the ‘new’ way because we crave the comfort of our ‘usual’ way. Just when you think you’re not succeeding- that’s when you need the most focus, faith, and forward momentum. Keep on going. You can do this!
• You need help. Life doesn’t happen in a vacuum. No change will either. Whether or not you think it’s true- you need support. Making changes and doing new things isn’t always easy. Why struggle by yourself? There are people all over the place who want you to do well! I mean, look at us. We’re nurses. We are always helping others. We want to help. Let someone satisfy their need to help and let them help you.

What healthy shifts have you been meaning or wanting to make? How come you haven’t started just yet? Are things like ‘time’, competing priorities, and conflicting schedules getting in your way?

I’d love to hear your feedback on this post. Share a comment, question, or reaction below. Let’s help each other move forward through a goal and towards success!