I Cared When You Weren't Even Looking

Longevity is not guaranteed for sustaining a consistent work performance. It can be difficult to understand what we need to change and keep about ourselves to maintain our position. Some of us can have a change or moment so big that it keeps us in a position even more than we may like. In acting, this is called typecasting. Without improving themselves and adapting to necessary standards, people can easily lose their jobs, friends, and even their families within days. If people are forced out the door and left to the curb, it is too late at that moment to ask what went wrong.

Our plans do not mix well with the plans people prepared around us. They mix even less with nature’s inexplicable unpredictability. As far as what God plans to do, our ideas have no value in comparison whatsoever. Tomorrow will not be what we think it is. We should plan and prepare. Still, we need to be ready to disregard those plans and plan and prepare something new on the fly.

According to this article on insidetheiggles.com, the Philadelphia Eagles were prepared for the Super Bowl against New England by planning on their opponent’s reputation for preparation. They staged fake practices and trusted that everyone was already ready to do the job that they worked all year to do. Eagles veteran reveals infamous scheme against Spygate-accused Bill Belichick

That was the Super Bowl that made the “Philly Special” famous. The Philly Special was a trick pass to the quarterback to exploit the eyes that are closed from the uncommon practice of tossing to a quarterback. The road to excellence is paved in good distractions. They pulled a double trick play to catch the enemy. The first trick was for someone other than the quarterback to throw the ball. That can be unexpected enough. However, it is not a guaranteed success. The second trick was to throw it to the white quarterback. That is what threw the Patriots off their game.

Eagles "Philly Special" Trick Play In Super Bowl 52

It is not always simple to know how to make a magic trick work. The Colts failed in an attempt to organize a trick snap on a fourth down play against the Patriots. Their poor execution gave the Patriots time to understand what was happening. What people try to use to gain a status of legendary innovation comes at the risk of embarrassment beyond expectations. Colts Fourth-Down Trick Play Goes Horribly Wrong (Week 6) | Patriots vs. Colts | NFL

Being unique can make people great. However, it takes a proper execution and understanding of the environment in order to make uniqueness work. And so this comes from studying beyond books. Reading the room is a skillset that most people use without understanding that we are even using it. Ty Law told a story about how Peyton Manning would spy on opponents by speaking directly to them and getting them drunk enough to spill the beans. Peyton Manning's strategy for stealing NFL secrets? Get players drunk at Pro Bowl, apparently | Sporting News

His trick plays apparently were pulled off the field. Thus, it is where people are not looking that the magicians are working. They make opportunities in unexpected moments and places. Some people depend on clutch moments and they lose their jobs because it takes too long for clutch moments to happen. Clutch moments can also be seen as doing the bare minimum. But, even from the sidelines a winner can work. The bench is not a bed. It is a desktop. And if it is not used properly, someone else will sit in the place of the next victim of replacement strategy. So, let me buy you a drink and share your thoughts with me. I'm listening...carefully.