This Week’s Focus Point: Cool FactorI recently watched a terrific show from the NFL network’s documentary series titled, A Football Life. The episode featured the life and NFL career of the late Ken “The Snake” Stabler. I remember vividly watching “Snake” tear apart the Seattle Seahawks and other teams during his fantastic 15-year career. What made Stabler stand out was his persona. Snake had charisma…he was known as a good old boy from Alabama that lived and played hard. He had swagger, bravado, and (most importantly) a cool factor. His former coach John Madden said of him after his death last summer – “In the big games, he was big. In the tough games, he was tough. In the hot games, when things got heated; he was the coolest guy on the field.” That’s why he was always known as a clutch player.
The very best in their crafts have the cool factor. They are able to stay calm in the midst of chaos and turmoil. When the conversations and emotions run hot, they are able to stay cool. Good decisions are made because the mind is able to slow down and be clear when everything else around them is seeming bedlam. They are clutch performers.
Kenny Stabler was able to keep his cool even under the intense pressure of big games and blitzing linebackers. How good are you at playing it cool when the heat gets turned up in your personal playing field? Do you succumb to the pressure around you or can you be as chill as “The Snake?”
What’s your cool factor? Are you a clutch performer? Make 2016 the year you resolve to consistently be both!
“In order to succeed, we must first believe that we can.”
~ Nikos Kazantzakis
