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In the wake of the Super Bowl, it is sure there will be blogs today about victory, even about cheating, horrible calls, incredible catches, disgusting injuries, and more. The talk will center around football: who won, who should have won, who feels robbed of the one thing everyone on the field was seeking last night. A win. Victory.

The one thing I like, once a team reaches the playoffs and especially the Super Bowl, is that those who focused on their individual achievements, individual stats, and the money so entrenched in the game today have faded into background noise. Teams make the Super Bowl, not individuals, something football fans have seen over and over. The odd thing to me is that we don’t apply this more to our lives.

We all need a team. You cannot go this journey alone. As a writer, I struggle with this more than most. My occupation is a solitary one, hours spent at the keyboard alone, crafting stories. However, once the story is told, I need an army of people around me to make sure it is the best it can be, and then share it with the world. No matter what you do, you need people around you as well, reaching for the same goals.

Team does not negate individual achievement. In fact is celebrates it, because those who truly understand team also understand that all ships rise on an incoming tide. The achievement of one benefits us all. So sharing in victory does not in any way negate the spotlight for the individual, but in fact enhances it. On the other hand, team also celebrates smaller achievements, because those, too, lead to overall victory.

Team takes the sting out of failure. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Mistakes that can be labeled as failures. But singular failures do not mean that the individual or the team for that matter, has never been victorious, or can never be again. Equally, failure does not negate the effort put in, lessons learned, and the hope for the future. Rather, it provides a bottom point for moving upward again.

Things are better when you are surrounded by a team. Collaboration and celebration of the individual achievement encourages everyone, and soothes those who have not yet experienced the same success.

Victory means different things to different people. When we all embrace the team around us, it just tastes sweeter, no matter how you define it.

Troy Lambert
Troy is a freelance writer, author, and blogger who lives, works, and plays in Boise, Idaho with the love of his life and three very talented dogs.

Passionate about writing dark psychological thrillers, he is an avid cyclist, skier, hiker, all-around outdoorsman, and a terrible beginning golfer.