Armchair Quarterbacking My Life

One of the best things about watching sporting events with other people is the constant Armchair Quarterbacking. Those sports fans who absolutely positively know how they would have called a play or thrown a ball or subbed a player. They are the expert in the moment and would have done something completely different that totally would have changed the outcome of a game. Their unending confidence and vigor always amuses me.

I have to wonder if those Armchair Quarterbacks are as rabid with correcting the "calls" of their personal lives as they readily do during the game. Do they take the big picture approach and study the replay reels in their mind? Do they question every decision and predict a different outcome? Are they better at self-evaluation?

While I rarely engage in the behavior during sports events, Armchair Quarterbacking my own life could be my Gold Medal event in the Emotional Olympics.

I not only mentally play back those reels on a day to day basis, but look at the ones when I embarrassed myself in 2nd grade, or on that first date, or in college at a meet-n-greet, or when I said something completely inane in an important meeting at work. (apologies for the triggers 😕) I constantly Armchair Quarterback every event, moment, and breath, which can be paralyzing and render me unable to move forward.

But here's the thing, I know it's not productive. It's useless to obsess over what can't be changed. I've been doing it so much lately with a specific situation in my life that I think I'm finally ready to be done. I'm ready to get out of the damn armchair!

So now what?

My favorite ref of all time - Howard Webb

Self-evaluation is a good thing, but it should ALWAYS be forward facing with actions that can be changed for the betterment of ourselves and those around us. We look back to help us go forward in a positive productive way. If that's not happening then it's time to stop the replay reel.

So here's my personal gameplan going forward. If we are having interactions, let's get out those yellow flags and use them in the moment. Bounce one off my "helmet" if you need to. Pull out the yellow card, hopefully no red cards. 😬 Blow the whistle, stop the play. Let's take a timeout if that's what is needed. I don't want to waste any more time looking at past plays when we have a whole game in front of us.

I'm done Armchair Quarterbacking my life.

Just a thought...

Tracey

Comments

My Stupid Mental Health

This meme makes me laugh every time I see it. Eagles walking is hilarious - they look like they're wearing floofy pants. Also, that's pretty much been my attitude when it comes to taking care of my physical and mental health. So, not great. The last five or so years has brought about a revolution in the way society views mental health. We take care of our bodies, we should also take care of our brains. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing." The difficulty arises, I believe, when there is so much emphasis all at once that instead of it being a "good thing" it becomes another task. The pressure of adding ANOTHER thing to the "to do" list that feels overly complicated and unrealistically time consuming. And if you don't get it checked off that list, it becomes a source of shame. "What, you didn't spend 30 minutes in mindful meditation? What's wrong with you?" It's called a freaking LIFE! On the flip side, ...

I Barely Said Hello...

I miss my Dad. Actually I miss both my Dads. But I miss them differently. The Dad that raised me died 9 years ago after a long illness. I lived close by so was heavily involved in his life, his care. He had time with my children - they adored him. He had been sick and deteriorating for so long that by the time he died I was, in a way, prepared. I grieved hard, but we had so many memories, so much history. The Dad that gave me life, died 9 days ago. I've only been in contact with him for 7 1/2 months. We texted and spoke on the phone a lot in that time. I visited for a long weekend. We went through pictures. We shared our stories. We grieved the moments in life that we missed. We bared our souls. We made peace with past decisions. We were ready to move on, to create memories. A future. He died exactly one month to the day that we met in person. I don't even have a good picture of us. Before the comments start, I am in...

Breathe....Celebrate the Small

When life presents us with major upheaval it can be difficult to see beyond the chaos. Easier still, to fall into survival mode, focusing so much on the "Big Picture" we fail to notice anything. Or worse, so focused on minutia that we can't see beyond the immediate, the biggest fire. The devil really is in the details on those days. If this is where you are, STOP! Take a loooong cleansing breath...now, take another. In all transparency, the above is really a reminder for myself. The last three and a half years of life have been...just, wow! There's been people found and lost too soon, the kids launching, quitting a job, putting plans on hold, understanding new relationships, living alone for a year, health issues and lifestyle changes, cleaning out 28 yrs of stuff, moving across the country, balancing family needs, and more. Decisions, so many decisions. But with the change of seasons (finally!), comes a moment to pause. To breathe. To reacquaint myself with...wel...

Just a Thought...

Search This Blog