Super Bowl LI is in the books and whether you’re a fan or not, it probably got some of your attention. Even if you hate sports, maybe you made a snack for a family member or friend group; or you just couldn’t get away from the office pool and the accompanying trash talk from raving fans. Or your social media feed was littered with predictions leading up to the game.
According to Fortune.com almost 112 million people watched the game, in the US alone. Add an additional 50-75 million viewers from another 170 countries and you’ve got yourself a show.
Viewers consumed a lot more than 4 hours of TV too. Do you know how much food was consumed during the game? I did some digging and found these numbers. These are conservative and only reflect consumption in the United States:
1.25 billion chicken wings…yes that’s a b
11 million lbs of chips
1 in 7 households (48 million) will order take out food…60% being pizza
8 million lbs of guacamole
55 million cases of beer…cases…I don’t know what 55 million x 24 is but, wow. The tab? 10.8 billion dollars.
Those are staggering numbers…all for a football game.
Hey, I watched the game and ate my share of wings that night too, so who am I to judge?
But now that the game is over, maybe it’s time to think about something more important than a football game (I can hardly believe I just wrote that line). But hear me out.
It’s one thing to watch a football game. There’s nothing wrong with watching great athletes compete and it’s a great excuse to get together with friends and family too. For a few hours it can be a lot of fun.
But are you living your life as a spectator or a player? I might be touching on a sensitive area, especially if you have a spouse who is glued to the TV all weekend, every weekend, to watch a sport you have no interest in.
Question: How much time do you spend watching the lives of other people rather than focusing on your own life?
How much time are you watching ESPN or reading the sports page (does anyone do that anymore?). Or how much time do you listen to sports talk radio?
Again, there is nothing wrong with any of those things. And just in case you think I’m picking on sports fans, I’m not. There are others who couldn’t care less about sports and don’t see the point at all. But that doesn’t prevent some people from watching TMZ or reading People magazine or obsessing on Facebook…watching others live their lives.
Are we more interest in the lives of other people than our own?
Darren Hardy suggests that the difference between successful people and those who are not, is there E2E ratio…entertainment to education ratio. While 95% of people spend their extra time on ease & entertainment, the successful 5% spend more time investing in themselves…their learning and growing, rather than being distracted by the lives of others. Instead of excessive amounts of time and energy spent on the lives of athletes and hollywood stars, they strive to improve themselves.
What would it mean to you, to focus on living your own goals and dreams rather than watching other people live out theirs?
I’m not saying we shouldn’t ever enjoy the distraction of a game or TV show but there might be a few things we can do to enhance our lives too.
Instead of sports radio…a podcast
Instead of ESPN…an online seminar
Instead of ETalk Daily…a book or instructional media
Instead of talking about the lives of other people…talk about your own goals and dreams; or encouraging someone with theirs.
Q. Is there an area of your life that has been neglected? Have you been on the sidelines rather than playing? Maybe your marriage needs attention or relationship with a child? Maybe your own health has suffered while watching athletes enjoy theirs? Maybe that “thing” you’ve always wanted to start is still waiting for you to take the first step?
Stop watching and start living. It’s time to get back into the game. Stop being a spectator and start playing!
Q. What one area of your life is in need of attention? Where can you start today?
Q. What’s stopping you?
Feeling stuck? Not sure what to do next? Your life not where you want it to be?
Life coaching can help. Contact me to arrange a free 30-minute discovery call. Lets talk.
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