I’m so tired of hearing about the whole “if-this-could-happen” speculation game.
I was listening to NFL Radio today when I heard, “If only the Saints went into a defense that made more sense. I mean, I don’t know what they were thinking. Why not rush two?
Have five guys at the 45, have five guys at the 30, and there’s no chance in hell Stefon Diggs would have possibly done what he did.
Not a chance. Not a chance that Stefon Diggs would have had that touchdown.”
If that happened, the Saints would be in the championship game and we could just continue to go on and on and on in all aspects of our life.
If this happened.
If only I had bought this house.
If only I took this job.
If only I talked to this girl.
If this could happen.
It’s nonstop that we do this to ourselves.
As human beings, we love to play the game of speculation. We enjoy it. We love it.
“If only that happened,” going through the past.
He only tackled the guy.
We only didn’t get that penalty.
If I only said this on a date.
If only I took that job.
If only I bought Apple at a certain price.
If, if, if, if, if.
If this could happen.
That’s what we do.
We spin those stories nonstop.
We spin the if this stories nonstop in life.
It’s unbelievable.
I want you to look at your life right now, and I want you to literally think about how many times a week you say this.
If I only talked to her, if I only talked to him, if I only texted this, if I only said this to my boss, if I only said this to my kid.
If, if, if.
Speculate, speculate, speculate.
Create an alternate universe.
Because that’s what we want to do: we want to create an alternate universe, because we have trouble with our real universe. So that’s why we create the “if this could happen” scenario.
Just listen to sports radio all day today. People are still talking about if things could only have happened.
But the problem in life is that there is no “if this at all.” Things are exactly the way they are.
You get into a car accident, well, if you only left a minute earlier you wouldn’t have hit the car that you hit.
Something bad happens to you, if only you left the house a minute earlier, it wouldn’t have happened to you.
If I only used sunscreen as a kid, I wouldn’t have had to get rid of the regular moles as an adult.
I mean, we could just go on and on, folks. But it’s getting really tiring.
To live your life under the premise of “if this could happen” is dangerous.
Because when we live our life under that premise, we’re living our life based on stories from the past and the future, not living it in the moment.
That’s why we have the phrase, shit happens.
The Saints lost because Shawn Peyton did not put the right defense in, plain and simple.
Plain and simple. He’s a coach. He’s a human being. He made a mistake.
I would have put that defense in.
There’s no chance in hell I would have not had 10 guys.
I would have rushed one, had 10 guys making sure that nobody, nobody beat me on a long pass.
I would have played the percentages. He played the percentages because he thought they were just going to go for a field goal and try to get out of bounds.
But you know what? He was wrong. Now all of a sudden Case Keenam looks like a good quarterback, but in reality, Case Keenam is going to suck next year.
He’s going to get a job somewhere, someone’s going to think that this year was a real year for him, but in reality, he just had one of those magical years.
So stop living your life under the premise of “if this could happen” and start living your life as things happen.
And learn from it — when, not if shit happens.
2 Comments | Join the Discussion!
Jenny
Saturday, January 20th, 2018
Wendy K
Sunday, January 21st, 2018