Why Not You?

Similar to many people, I spent this past Sunday night in front of the television, watching the Super Bowl.  My team (The Dallas Cowboys) were unfortunately not in the game, so I was not as invested in the outcome of the game as some of my friends who were watching with me.  As I watched, the temptation of various topics for this week was overwhelming.  There was too much easy material to work with in addition to what I had already planned to write about.  However, I abandoned other potential topic plans when I heard Russell Wilson in one of his many post-game championship interviews.  He was asked about a phrase that his father used to tell him that he used with his teammates to get them ready for the game, which was “Why not us?”

The phrase stuck with me throughout the rest of the night.  I thought about how simple yet how powerful a statement it was.  The phrase rattled around in my thoughts as I drove home and I whittled it down to the singular version and the exact phrase that Russell’s father reportedly used with Russell, “Why not you?” 

His father used it with him as naysayers told Russell that he was too short to play quarterback and had other critiques.  Russell’s dad would ask him “Why not you?”  Russell would go on to win a Big Ten Championship in college as a quarterback, and win the Super Bowl, arguably the biggest stage that sports can offer.  I’m not going to compare myself to Russell Wilson, but I admittedly have let the thought “No, not me” creep into my conscience before.  Sometimes I’ve been right, others I’ve been wrong, and maybe you have succumbed to those same thoughts of “No, not me” when considering something.  It could be asking that special someone on a first date, applying for a job, asking for a promotion or raise, trying to start a business venture, or even something as simple as exercising to meet a health goal.

Instead of saying “No, not me” and talking ourselves out of something, it’s time that we all recognize our self-worth and potential.  We need to stop defeating ourselves before the fight even happens, and stop convincing ourselves what our limits are before we even attempt something.  Somewhere between our youth and adulthood we lose some of our naivety of thinking big, imagining and visioning great things and believing that we can accomplish lofty goals.  Sure there are certain realities that exist such as I can’t be an all-star basketball player tomorrow, or run for president next year.  But if I put my mind to something and put in the necessary work, then “Why not me?” and if you did the same “Why not you?”

In life we feel like we need to have the answers to everything, and be able to rationalize things.  That’s where this “No, not me” defeatist attitude festers from.  We can rationalize and think of all the reasons why something doesn’t make sense to fit us and why it shouldn’t happen.  It’s time to make a paradigm shift in our thinking and start saying Russell’s father’s phrase to ourselves, “Why not you?”

So instead of focusing on your limits and what you can’t do, focus on your strengths and what your potential is.  Look at and focus on your hopes and dreams and focus on how you can harness the power of the strength of your skills to make that happen.  When your areas of improvement (I refuse to call them weaknesses) enter your mind, become solution oriented and figure out how to overcome those so that “It can be me!” becomes more of a reality.  Surround yourself with supportive people through networking and current relationships and share your hopes and dreams with them.  They might be able to help you in some way achieve what you want to achieve.  Then, as a mentor once told me, take that leap.  Go beyond what you feel comfortable attempting.  Make things happen.  You could really surprise yourself with how great you really are, accomplish your dreams and you may even reach beyond what you thought was your potential.  Now if for any reason it doesn’t work out, don’t quit and give up.  You deserve to experience greatness just like any other person, so try again even harder the next time, look in the mirror and say "Why not you?"