This Sunday was Super Bowl history. As the Atlanta Falcons led the game, stats scrolled along the bottom. One said that teams down by 19 points or more going into the final quarter lost every time: 93-0. Also, the Super Bowl has never gone into overtime.
With those kinds of stats, and the poor plays by the New England Patriots, it seemed like the game was over. The odds were stacked against the Pats; even if they managed to score a few touchdowns, no one thought they would come back to win it. But, they did. Which goes to prove that you never know. Just because it has never been done before doesn’t mean that it is impossible.
This game shows that no matter what adversity you are facing, no matter the odds stacked against you, you can overcome them. Brady didn’t throw the towel in, didn’t sit back and try to play it safe, instead he chucked the ball, took risky plays, and as a team they pulled together and upset history. It was a beautiful thing to watch, even as a non-football fan. It illustrated how perseverance can overcome anything. It illustrated how those who work hard and take risks can achieve their goals over those who sit back and try to play it safe.
A friend we watched the game with called it, he knew that the Falcons would try to protect the ball and play it safe. He said that that would be their downfall. And it was. Playing it safe and following a path that, even if it isn’t the one you want, is safer, won’t get you where you want to be. It might get you close, but someone who is willing to dive in headfirst and ignore the odds is more likely to achieve their dream: the dream that seems so far-fetched that they barely dare admit it to anyone but themselves.
With Athabasca University, there were courses I wanted to take, but was hesitant because I wasn’t sure how I would do in them. I wasn’t sure if I should risk my GPA or stick with courses that were more familiar. I took the risk and enrolled in courses that might not benefit me, but intrigued me. They were not a sure choice, but one of those courses, led to my minor. Taking that chance shifted my entire outlook on what I wanted to do, my end goal didn’t change, but how I was going to achieve it, and what I was going to do with it, did.
I try to remind myself that just because the odds look bad, doesn’t mean it won’t happen. When I read query stats from agents it is extremely disheartening, there are so many people chasing the same dream I am, my odds for standing out among them seem impossible. The chance for that query letter, those chapters, or the synopsis to grab someone’s attention when the agency receives tens of thousands of others? Slim, exceptionally slim. But, 93-0? No, there are some that get through, it isn’t a “never been done” so if they can come back from never been done, why can’t we all achieve our dreams too? If we stay focused and work hard, employ the skills of those around us offering help, we, like Brady, will be unstoppable ?and we don’t have a clock running down on us.
Deanna Roney is an AU student who loves adventure in life and literature. Follow her path on the writing journey at https://deannaroney.wordpress.com/
