{"id":1826,"date":"2018-07-05T17:39:29","date_gmt":"2018-07-05T22:39:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/?p=1826"},"modified":"2019-05-17T13:04:53","modified_gmt":"2019-05-17T18:04:53","slug":"halftime-adjustments-planning-series-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/belovedlove.org\/reflections\/2018\/07\/05\/halftime-adjustments-planning-series-part-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Halftime Adjustments – Planning Series Part 2"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Football<\/a>Halftime Adjustments<\/b><\/h1>\n

Planning Series Part 2<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

by Lydia Floren<\/p>\n

My husband Andrew and I are big football fans, and though I am by no means an expert, I have learned a few things about the game over the years. Mostly by osmosis. Sitting on cold metal benches, trying to figure out what exactly a defensive end does.\u00a0<\/span>Chatting about strategy and strengths with fellow parents as we sell things for fundraisers or serve up food to sweaty players. Listening to my husband and three sons rehash games at the dinner table. Playing tag football with the kids in the front yard. (Well, until a career ending knee injury sidelined me a few years ago.)\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I also learned\u00a0<\/span>the game by asking a lot of questions from people who know more than I do. (So far, Aaron Rodgers hasn\u2019t responded to my emails, but it\u2019s OK.\u00a0 <\/span>I understand. He\u2019s a little busy right now.)<\/p>\n

One of my favorite things about watching football, is seeing how things change in the second half.\u00a0 <\/span>The coaches can spend weeks developing a sound game plan, and drilling it into their team.\u00a0 <\/span>But usually, as the first half unfolds, things don\u2019t go exactly according to plan. Maybe a key player gets hurt. Or the opposing quarterback is having the best game of his life. For whatever reason, the team\u2019s carefully crafted strategy is not working as anticipated.\u00a0 <\/span>Coaches know this.\u00a0 <\/span>Anticipate it, even. And they have a plan in place to change the plan.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s called a half-time adjustment.<\/h2>\n

At the half, all those guys that have been communicating through their headsets (screaming is a form of communication isn\u2019t it?) get together. They talk about what\u2019s working, what\u2019s not, and what could be done differently. And then, they craft an amended\u00a0 <\/span>plan for the second part of the game.\u00a0 <\/span>These changes,\u00a0 <\/span>I learned, are called \u201chalftime adjustments.\u201d\u00a0 <\/span>Well, I don\u2019t know if \u201chalftime adjustment\u201d is an official moniker in the NFL playbook, but I know that\u2019s what it is called. And everybody does it.<\/p>\n

So why am I thinking about football in July, when there are absolutely NO GAMES on TV unless you count grainy reruns of Joe Namath? And yes, I actually know who that is.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why: July 1 is the halfway point in the calendar year. And so July is the month I make my own halftime adjustments to my year\u2019s game plan. \u00a0 <\/span>In January I write down some goals and plans for coming year. Mid-year I set aside some time to review the first 6 months – what\u2019s working, what needs to change. And then I pray – I consult with God the Ultimate Life Coach – about what adjustments need to be made for the second half.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Why half-time adjustments are necessary<\/h2>\n

Why do this? Because life happens<\/a>. We all know that things rarely go as anticipated.\u00a0 <\/span>Maybe you lose your job, or move cross country, or find out your child has a learning disability, or a special gift. Or maybe you have an illness that has sapped your strength, or are faced with a big decision that took you by surprise.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Or, maybe you discover that your plans are just not realistic. That happens to me a lot. I tend to overestimate how much time I have, and underestimate how much time or energy something will take.\u00a0 <\/span>A perfectionist, even a perfectionist-in-recovery like me, can make some pretty elaborate plans that have little chance of success. For example:\u00a0 \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n