As he hit the ground on the 15 yard line, the outside linebacker who had just tackled him jumped up and began to dance, shaking his hips and curling his lip. How often do you hear that story? That linebacker was me almost eleven years ago. My name is Brandon "Elvis" Howard and I am an Elvis Tribute Artist who played high school football. For three glorious years of my high school career, I put on pads and a helmet and played the great game of football for Madison-Grant High School in Fairmount, Indiana.
Football taught me many things, but the biggest lesson was humility. There is always someone that may just want something that you want more. If ever in life I become too overconfident and decide that I'm too good at something and don't need to practice, I should expect to fail. That's what my football coach instilled in me and I carry it to this day.
Football also helped me to remember to keep a positive attitude through tough situations. Just because a situation or an obstacle looks insurmountable, that doesn't always mean that it is. It may not look like you can tackle a certain runner, or sack a certain QB, or get by a certain defender, but that doesn't mean it is impossible.
My high school football coach was really good at inspiring us to look at life one game at a time (or one show at a time). Concentrate on the task and hand, stick with it, and accomplish it before we move on to the next goal. If we all did that, I think our lives would seem a little less complicated sometimes.
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