10 Ways to Win Like the Broncos – Parade Photos

The 2015 football season taught me a lot about life. The Broncos started out strong and then faltered. Their offense fell apart and their exhausted defense couldn’t win games on their own. After quarterback, Peyton Manning, threw several interceptions, he admitted to suffering with plantar fasciitis. Manning sat out and our back-up quarterback, Brock Osweiler, took the field.

Trophy, Manning

We thought we were doomed. Television commentators assumed the team had divided.

But that didn’t happen. The team supported Osweiler. The Broncos continued to win games while Manning healed and watched games from the bench.

After Manning recovered, he regained the #1 position. Osweiler showed a lot of class in quietly retreating to the bench. Our team supported both quarterbacks. Fans wondered who would start in the championship game, but Manning was back. With a supreme team effort, they won the Super Bowl.

 

So how does this relate to you?

I think there is a huge takeaway from this year’s season.

Learn from the Broncos and reach your goals.

  1. Surround yourself with people who support you.

Build a team of those with common interests or who will be there for you throughout your career.

Cheerleaders

  1. Recognize your weaknesses.

No one is perfect. Find your Achilles tendon. We are only as strong as our weakest link.

  1. Ask for help.

Pride is the enemy of success. Don’t delude yourself into thinking you know everything. There is always someone younger, faster, sharper and more innovative out there. Study them. Learn. Take what you see and apply it somehow.

  1. Take time to rebuild, rewrite, rework or break down what isn’t working.

It’s a bummer to sit on the sidelines, but being in a hurry to reach a goal before preparing can mean losing, big time.

Peyton Manning and super bowl trophy

  1. Listen.

Don’t become defensive. Ignoring criticism can be deadly. When there is a percentage out there who think something is wrong, fix it. Don’t surround yourself with “yes men.” Honest fans are the best kind to have.

  1. Encourage others.

While you sit on the bench in rebuild mode, remember there are others ready to reach their goals. Feeling jealous is a negative waste of energy. Support them. Be their super fan.

Sanders and Thomas

  1. Try again.

You will feel more confident after taking the time to strengthen your weaknesses. Reaching a goal is a process. There may be other times in your future when you must step back and adjust.

  1. Face your fears and then leave them behind.

Fear is the enemy of success. Like my son, Kelly, says, “If I fail, I won’t lose anything. I’ll be right in the same place as I was before I tried.”

  1. Never get cocky. Remain humble.

Ego is a soft and easily punctured shield, which ironically becomes a target. Use confidence as protection, but realize you got to this point with team effort of education, coaching and encouragement.

Broncos crowd

  1. Thank your team.

When you succeed, remember your super fans. You won’t cross the goal line without them.

Patty, Courtney, Me
Super fans – Me with my sister, Patty, and my daughter, Courtney.

Do any of these tips hit home for you? Which tip do you think is harder to attain? Did you cheer for the Broncos?

 

48 thoughts on “10 Ways to Win Like the Broncos – Parade Photos”

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  1. Thank you so much for sharing … the photos, the experience, and the parallels to life.
    While my team for over 40 years has been Washington, Peyton is one of my top five favorites, and it’s hard not to love the Broncos. I do love it when the TEAM wins, and when DEFENSE wins. It was a great night!
    Congratulations!

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    1. Thanks so much LB! There have been Broncos with big egos through the years, but this group really shines.
      Defense was everything. You could see the coaches pull Manning back for a few plays in the second half to let defense do their thing. AMAZING!
      It was fun to be with a million others at the parade and rally yesterday. Talk about fans!!!

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  2. Well I think there is more than one lesson in there that hits home. Facing your fears and what your son, Kelly, said still rings true every time. We might as well face them because by standing up to them is the only way we benefit. Caving into those fears is sure defeat. I was happy for Peyton and for Kubiak both because they both came back after failures. Loved the photos Susie, looks like you guys had fun, and the weather cooperated, too. Reminds me of the blast we had out here in San Francisco after the Giants wins in the World Series. Hey, and it’s an even year! LOL.

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    1. I was talking to my son about getting ready to query again. He is submitting tracks to producers, so he could relate. Pretty smart guy! If we don’t face them, we can’t move forward.
      We heard a lot of smack talk this year. I’m so glad they had the opportunity to show everyone what they were made of. Peyton just beamed on the firetruck.
      It hovered around 60 yesterday. It will probably snow this weekend. Perfect timing! Sounds like you had a great time in San Fran!
      Thanks, AtticMan!

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    1. We watched the game at a friend’s house. I held my breath throughout the game, even though we were in the lead. So often times crazy things happen in the final minutes. No one could believe we won! At one point during the season we didn’t think we’d make it to playoffs! They used mental toughness and teamwork to win.

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  4. Why are you not a professional counselor? Or are you? What a fantastic post. You’re locked in on the essence of life and have the ability to express it well beyond your years. May I reblog this?

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  5. Don’t you love Colorado? I heard there were literally a million people at the parade yesterday. So glad you went to capture these shots and to support the team, Susie! Yes, all 10 points are great life lessons and we certainly got to see them in action this season. Great post!

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    1. Thanks so much, Cathy! I do love Colorado. This team is something very special.
      Downtown was a sea of orange. I had a couple hundred photos, but needed to get this post out. There was an incredible energy and positive vibe everywhere even in the parking lot of I-25 on the way home! Ha! It was so cool to see everyone in the parade.
      Good thing I didn’t go to the rally. The grounds were filled at 9:00 in the morning! A fan had to choose one or the other. They only expected 500,000!

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  6. For me, it’s the fear of failure. But, thankfully, I’ve loads of experiencing in that area, which makes me less fearful now. I like the point that you really have nothing to lose in trying and everything to gain.

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    1. Kelly said that to me after I was lamenting about the query process. He could relate since he’s submitting tracks to producers. Both of my kids are super intuitive about life. They must be ‘old souls.’ I take notes while we talk!

      I have tons of experience in failure too, Darla. Fear of failure is the bully who steps in the way of our goals. I’ve learned to step on its toes and throw him an elbow while moving ahead. Or is it a she? Ha! Whatever sex it is, it sure can be a monster if we become passive about it.

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    1. Someday I’ll write about everything my manuscript has gone through. It started with a 800 word flash fiction and became a 370 page book! Talk about rewrites! Thank God, I’ve worked on other projects along the way. Since my goal is to be traditionally published, it’s what I have to do. I keep kicking fear to the door while I go through the dreaded query process. 🙂

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  8. YEA! YEA! YEA! Cheers for Manning and Wade!
    You might add one more point: if you’re in the wrong place and it’s not working – find the right place to make it happen. Coach just couldn’t pull it together here, but there? WInner!
    Love your son’s take on fearing to risk.
    Cool pix

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  9. Reblogged this on The Cvillean and commented:
    I rarely reblog, but this one merits more exposure. Susie, who has overcome some adversity of her own, recounts the life lessons learned from this past Sunday’s Super Bowl. A must read. And you thought football was all about touchdowns and sacks!

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    1. Thanks, Norm! I’m glad you enjoyed it. How and what the Broncos accomplished really struck me this year.
      I’ll forgive your Raiders alliance, just this once. 🙂 Ha! Peyton beamed on the firetruck yesterday.

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  13. I don’t even like football, but my money (haha…me having money!) was on Denver to win. Yay for intuition!

    Now if I could just use it elsewhere… O.o

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  16. Asolutely true on every point. Surrounding yourself with positive people is a big one for me.

    I’d also add, “When you win, take your family to Disneyland.”

    Congratulations Broncos!!

    Patricia Rickrode
    w/a Jansen Schmidt

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  21. I was pulling for Peyton and the Broncos. I watched the Superbowl with a true blue Broncos fan. I’ve been a Peyton fan for as long as he’s played. I’m so happy he won another. I’ll bet you’re on cloud nine right now. 🙂

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  22. Love the analogy, Susie!
    I did cheer for the Broncos!
    Your #7 tip is the one that resonates most with me. I spent a lot of years figuring out how to face my deepest fears, and then leave them (mostly) behind. Life-changing!!

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    1. It is life-changing to face them. When I break it down, there’s really nothing to fear. There are many ways to cross our goal lines!
      Thanks so much for stopping by, Denise! Always great to “see” you!

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  23. This was such an awesome post I can’t believe I hadn’t seen it or the rest of your posts on my reader! Something was going on here I thought you were on hiatus! Duuuuuuuuuuuude first off so jealous that you got a chance to do this!!! Love your pictures! Second it is such a trip because I was thinking of writing a post on surrounding yourself with a community of supporters and finding things that work, getting information that helped you. Dude and you had it here on this post!! Love how you tied everything to the Broncos season. The game was great to watch just because the defense just handled it. Good way to help Manning out. I was totally partying it up here in Cali. Good post!

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