Practice Being Joyful. You May Win a Super Bowl.
Joyful doesn't just happen. It takes practice and work and mindset. Just like everything else.
It was a meaningless game. Unless you’re a free agent or rookie desperately trying to make the team. Few other teams in the NFL even play their starters in the pre-season.
It’s risky.
They sit on the bench and watch others fight it out.
But not the Kansas City Chiefs. They play their starters in the pre-season games
They’ve won the last two Super Bowls. Despite this, Patrick Mahomes wasn’t satisfied. Yes, they won the Super Bowl but it was a grind. The offense performed below their expectations. Scoring points was a slog.
So, yesterday they did something that has never been done before.
Mahomes threw a pass behind his back to his favorite target, Kelce.
Mahomes to Kelce.
They’ve had umpteen connections but never one delivered behind the back.
It was Magic Johnson leading the Lakers down the court. Showtime.
It was fun.
It happened in the flow of the game. It wasn’t a scripted play. But it wasn’t unplanned.
The Chiefs plan fun.
During each practice the offense will head down to the end zone, by themselves, without coaches and make up plays. The crazier the better. We’ve seen spinning huddles, and passes off of reverses, and double and triple handoffs. And now we’ve seen a behind-the-back-pass. Crazy stuff.
The coaching staff encourages this type of practice. They encourage these plays be used in actual games. Games that count. It makes them fun to watch. They play with a joyfulness. Like they were kids.
And they win.
This season the Chiefs have the opportunity to win three Super Bowls in a row. Never been done before. In fact, only 5 teams have had the opportunity to win three in a row in the history of the league. They all failed. But this hasn’t changed the Chiefs approach.
They still work hard. They still make up plays. They still search out fun.
Practice some joy for yourself. Daily. Start now. You may become an unstoppable force.
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