on side kick

NO GUTS, NO GLORY!

With one onside kick, on one of the most unexpected plays in Super Bowl history, The New Orleans Saints proved winning takes guts…

If you have been following me here or at at JayPeroni.com, you know I’m a die-hard New England Patriots fan. Since my Patriots did not make it to the Big Game on Sunday, I got to see the next best thing: the Indianapolis Colts lose! But even better than that was getting to see the New Orleans Saints claim victory after such hardship the past several years. Between the high crime rates and the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, most of America was rooting for some joy for that city.

Though nothing can take back the pain, loss and devastation from Katrina, but to see so many smiles and such joy on the faces of the many folks in New Orleans was priceless. In one of the most exciting Super Bowl games in the past decade (besides my Patriots’ three Super Bowl wins), yesterday’s victory proved winning takes guts.

Coach Payton of the Saints proved that to beat the overpowering Colts it was going to take stamina, smarts, and a good dose of risk – high stakes, high reward plays. There was no shortage in Super Bowl XLIV. From the risky call to go for it on 4th down inside the Colts 2 yard line to the gutsy onside kick to begin the second half the underdog Saints had one goal in mind: put it all on the line to give that hurting city something to be proud of.

The players knew what was on the line. They knew what it meant and they were willing to do whatever it took to claim victory. It was their way of saying thank you to the fans, their way of realizing how far the city had come in such a short time, and most of all they knew they could play a small part in helping New Orleans to rebuild what it had lost.

WHAT ARE YOU LIVING FOR?

What about you? What are you playing for? What are you willing to throw it all on the line for? If you are still living, God wants to do something amazing through you. You are not dead for a reason. You still have a purpose and He has a plan for your life. But are you just going through the motions? Are you investing your life into something worthwhile?

When I awake every day, I know it could be my last day here on earth. We have no promise of another day. Yet we take so much for granted. If today were your last day, how differently would you live? What’s holding you back? Just like the Saints put it all on the line last night, played with heart, and took chances, are you doing the same? To get where you want to go in life, anywhere worth going, it will take a whole lot of guts. Are you willing to risk it all for what you believe in?

What about that business you never started, that investment you never made, that person you never told how you really felt?… We only have so many chances to get it right. We can either dream about the life we wished we had or we can take some chances and work toward creating the life of our dreams – the choice really is up to you: No guts, no glory!