As a Chicago sports fan in his 40s, admittedly there hasn’t been a ton of great games to cheer for in quite some time. We’re now coming up on a decade of the Cubs World Series championship, and the Bears unfortunately have given us more high draft picks (due to how bad they’ve finished) than great wins.
This past Saturday was the most fulfilling Bears game I can ever recall watching. It wasn’t just a win. It was an insane rollercoaster ride to victory, and it was the struggle in the valleys of the game that made this win against the Packers in the playoffs an incredibly gratifying game.
Against their rivals in a win or go home scenario, the Bears were looking at an 18 point deficit. Their defense looked like Swiss cheese and offensively there was little flow. At least for 3 quarters this was true. Then the 4th quarter happened and more specifically within 7 minutes of the 4th quarter. The Bears had cut the Packer’s lead to 21-16 before the Packers drove down and scored a touchdown to go up 27-16.
All seemed to be over on 4th and 8 as Caleb Williams rolled out to his left side and under pressure precisely throws a ball perfectly to his WR in between multiple defenders for a first down. The momentum completely shifted these last few minutes, and the Bears ended up scoring 2 touchdowns in the last 4+ minutes to cap one of the most memorable comebacks in franchise history.
I would have been pumped for a win regardless. But the level of fulfillment was on a completely different level because of all the struggle and amount of resilience. It wasn’t just a win. It was a win that proved to each of these players what they’re capable of not just physically, but more importantly mentally as a team. It’s simple, if you refuse to give up there’s no telling what amazing moments and accomplishments can be up ahead.
When we think about the wins we have in life, how would much more fulfilling is the accomplishment of the wins that took a ton of perseverance vs. the ones that came a little easier? Not all our wins are the same. We learn so much more and have a different perspective when that path to success is not linear. Experimenting and testing ways to work through adversity and showing ourselves how we can bounce back from struggle can shine a light on so many valuable lessons we can carry forward.
In the middle of the struggle, it’s easy to want to ask for an easier path. Sometimes the drain resiliency puts on us makes it feel like we can’t take another step forward. But in those moments, it’s incredible what we can learn about ourselves. Those lessons learned and introspection gained on fighting through and persevering from adversity can be a difference maker for us on our growth journey.
While I have no idea what’s ahead for the Bears, I know this team has persevered from adversity all year long and have learned it’s hard to beat a team that will never give up. The core of this group is just beginning to gel but the process of connecting as a group can accelerate when a team unites through adversity. It will be fun to see how this team evolves not just to finish the season, but for what I hope to be some good years ahead. As a Bears fan, I know to be cautiously optimistic but there’s something different about this group. BEAR DOWN!
Take your step: the next win you have (remind yourself wins come in a variety of shapes and sizes), take a few minutes to reflect on the fulfillment of the win. What adversity did you persevere from? What lessons were learned on being resilient that can be carried forward to your next opportunity? Each win can give us insight into how we can achieve our next win if we take the time to understand how we stay resilient through the valleys.