TUNNEY-SIDE-OF-THE-STREET

#88 September 4 2006
Welcome to this week's message from the Tunney-Side-Of-The-Street. You are encouraged to share this with fellow workers, family and friends.

After further review -

Celebrate your victories! I believe in that. Our nation has declared today - Labor Day - as a celebration for those who work hard every day to perform tasks necessary to keep our economy alive. Of course, there are a number of labor issues e.g. minimum wage, health benefits (or lack thereof) that need addressing. But that's for another time.

My point is people should celebrate victories/successes. Take time to enjoy your accomplishments, however, keep it in perspective. I'm reminded by the warning, "You're only as good as your next call" meaning that, although you have cause to celebrate, the next event requires focus.

Which bring me to EXCESSIVE celebrations of NFL players who catch a pass for a touchdown and then take everybody's time and attention to demonstrate that accomplishment, which begs the question, did you do it all by yourself? Obviously without an accurately thrown pass and good blocking, the receiver wouldn't have much of a chance to make the catch. Excessive celebrations often say "Look at me, Mom".

Well, the NFL has seen enough. So for the 2006 season, Rule 12, Section 3, Article 1, (page 86) of the NFL Rule Book says, "Individual players involved in prolonged or excessive celebrations are prohibited from engaging in any such celebrations. A celebration shall be deemed excessive or prolonged if a player continues to celebrate after a warning from an official." And further says, "Possession or use of foreign or extraneous object(s) that are not part of the uniform during the game on the field or the sideline, or using of the ball as a prop". Penalty: loss of 15 yards.

Say goodbye and good riddance to sharpies, cell phones, and the like. Some say, "Bah humbug" the NFL stands for "No Fun League". The NFL says the "fun" is in the game itself. Does television play a part? Of course! Before TV a player wouldn't think of the kind of "acts" some put on today. And if a player did "showboat", other players would consider that an affront.

In my book, It's the Will, Not the Skill Coach Herman Edwards of the Kansas City Chiefs says that excessive celebrations disrespect your opponent. Herman continues, "If celebrating a touchdown is important, then maybe you should celebrate when your opponent scores". That's not likely. The point is to enjoy your victories/successes with respect for the game and your opponent.

Will you keep your celebrations reasonable and with a focus on what needs to be done next?

Look for my book
It's the Will, Not the Skill
Principles and philosophies of success
For more information about Jim Tunney, go to www.jimtunney.com
Visit my blog for the entire collection of my Tunney Sides:
http://tunney-side-of-the-street.blogspot.com

ARTICLE TAGLINE FOR JIM TUNNEY, Ed.D., CSP, CPAE

Copyright © 2003 Jim Tunney. All rights reserved.
You can visit Jim's website at http://www.jimtunney.com

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