Super Bowl LVI and Commitment to Success

When you have a chance to succeed at something, do you sit back and wait for it to happen, or do you go for it? Do you commit yourself to the opportunity?

This past Sunday was Super Bowl LVI, and this year’s champs, the Los Angeles Rams, are a great illustration of what we’re talking about.

The Rams had been championship contenders for several years. They made the Super Bowl after the 2018 season, only to lose to the New England Patriots, and had made the playoffs 3 times in the last 4 seasons.

They were in a solid position; without making any major changes, they could likely be contenders once again. But that’s not what they decided to do.

Seeing an opportunity to win it all this year, the Rams went all-in. Before the season, they made a huge trade to get a new quarterback, Matthew Stafford. During the season, they traded for pass rusher Von Miller and signed wide receiver Odell Beckham, Jr. It might seem obvious to try to add great players to a team. However, making these moves for established stars cost them many draft picks and ran the risk of disrupting the chemistry of a team that had already proven to be successful in the past.

But the Rams saw an opportunity to win a championship this year, and they went for it. It paid off. Stafford threw a career-high 41 touchdown passes, and led the game-winning drive Sunday night. Miller had 2 sacks in the Super Bowl, helping the Rams set the all-time Super Bowl record with 7 total sacks. Beckham scored the Rams’ first touchdown.

There was no guarantee that these moves would pay off, but it turned out they needed every one of those players and their contributions in a close 23-20 win. Without that decisive confidence that they were going to do whatever it took to win this year, they may well have fallen short yet again.

As entrepreneurs, we often like to try a lot of different things. We don’t know which ones will work, so we wait to see before fully committing. But while you can see some results and get insights into what works, you won’t see the biggest results without commitment. You have to make the decision that this is something you’re going to spend your time on and put in the work before you’ll see the full fruit.

Success requires full engagement, and wisdom is recognizing when the time is right to make that commitment – which avenues really have a chance to make it and are worth your full attention.

So where are you in your entrepreneurial journey? Are you ready to stop waiting and make the decision? Or are you still looking for the right signs, that the right opportunity is actually there? You have to find the right moment, but when it’s there, be ready to go.