Building a Winning Team

Touchdown! Congratulations to the New York Giants, and my New York friends and family, as they celebrate their unexpected victory last night in the Super Bowl. This win, of course, leads me to think about what it takes to be a winning team, and how to build that kind of team to face the challenges of both daily life and lifetime goals.

Enter Corinna, yet again. For those who don't know Corinna, she is a farmer and a friend of mine whom I see each week at the farmers market. Corinna knows everything in the world about anything I have ever asked her. And she has a rare ability to cut through the garbage and get to the simple, honest nugget of truth about things. What's more, Corinna is a go-getter with a true love for identifying opportunities--and acting on them. She's one of those people who makes things happen.

And so, I loved last week when Corinna pulled me aside, crouched down in the shadow next to her truck and showed me her photos. Turns out Corinna has recently partnered with the produce manager at her local Publix supermarket. He saves organic fruits and veggies that are past their prime and gives them to her. She feeds her ducks and chickens with this bounty. This team effort reduces waste, saves costs, and increases the nutrients and variety that the animals are being fed, thereby further improving the quality of the eggs for those who buy them.

I buy those duck and chicken eggs. I am, in my own way, a part of that team. And as I prepare to start another week here in my little suburban world, six of Corinna's eggs boiling on the stove right now, I'm thinking about teamwork. And how I can rise more fully to the occasion of my life this week, as part of a bigger team. And I'm thinking about the Giants last night, with just seconds to go, relying on teamwork, and winning.

And I'm wondering, what would I do with just seconds to go, in order to win in my life? Who is on my team? And, the challenge for this week, for me, at least, is who could be that's not?

Building a Winning Team