Blog Like Tebow

Never has the obligatory end-zone prayer been so hip.
Never has an iffy NFL 1st year rookie quarterback come so close to being a pop icon.
Never has a sports figure forced us to weigh faith and attitude so heavily in our tabulation of greatness.

Tim Tebow is preaching even when he’s trying his darndest not too.

I’m gonna have some fun today because Tebow has something to teach monitor-tanned bloggers too.

Tim Tebow isn’t a writer. He doesn’t wrestle with WordPress or ponder the perfect lede but his story offers the ingredients for success in business and personal mastery.

Take a knee, it’s Tebow time:

Make Progress Every Day

Many believe that Tim Tebow as probably the greatest college quarterback ever. His games were epic. He seemed to toy with his opponents. Based on past performance, NFL greatness was his birthright.

But, in the run-up to the 2010 NFL draft, many teams doubted Tebows ability to perform at the elite level. Tebow worked hard in the interim to prove he had the right set of skills to be a franchise quarterback. Only Denver was willing to gamble on the bruising, gutsy quarterback from Florida.

Even then, Tebow’s past success didn’t assure future glory.

 ”Right here, right now, Tebow is the worst quarterback in the NFL.” - Mark Kiszla, from the Denver Post, after the Denver’s loss to the Detroit Lions

I’m going to inch out on the limb with you here. I bet you were a sure-footed gold-platted A-game performer before social media hit. Marketing wasn’t easy but it wasn’t a mystery either. Then the game changed.

Now you must perform at the elite level. You need to mesh seemingly unrelated skills like writing, analytics, empathy, and sure-footed intuition into a game-changing performance. Like Tebow, you have to win.

Faith

Is Tebow’s faith for real? I think so but that isn’t what intrigues me. I’m fascinated by the power and strength he pulls from his faith. It sustains him and keeps him focused on and off the field.

As of this writing, Tebow has staged 5 Bronco comebacks and won games by 4 points or less. His opponents and teammates say that he “flips a switch” and plays as if he can’t lose. I rarely see wild abandon these days unless I watch a Bronco’s game.

As a social marketer, passion is our True North. We can’t write everyday, respond to trolls, bootstrap our business, or face months of zero retweets and comments without a intense faith in our mission.

Ask yourself, what do you believe in? Does your belief allow you to play with wild abandon?

Whatever it Takes

Like a good mystery novel, it’s better to wait until the end to watch Tim Tebow. The first 3 quarters are a mystifying menagerie of sub par performance mixed with gritty brilliance. White-knuckles are the mark of the Tebow fan.

Thankfully for the Broncos, the fourth quarter is Tebow’s canvas and he’s a master of the “clutch” play. His mental discipline would make a Shaolin monk nod in admiration. I’m sure the folks in Miami wish that King James would study Tebow’s “get ‘er done’ work ethic.

 ”Tim Tebow just wins. Road underdog vs. pretty good D, rush all over him all day, no real weapons, just started making late plays. Just win.” – Skip Bayless – ESPN

I believe that bloggers are some of the hardest working people on the planet. The pressure to produce is relentless and unforgiving. No matter what, we return to the keyboard to put one more post out there.

It doesn’t matter what happened yesterday, we need to concentrate on winning today.

Attitude Matters

Sports commentators are going nuts trying to decode the Tebow code. Footballs is cruelly meritocratic. You either perform or you don’t. Tebow shouldn’t succeed. The Broncos shouldn’t be in contention for the playoffs. Other quarterbacks, like Aaron Rodgers and Tom Brady are having historic seasons posting incredible stats that make Tebow’s numbers look anemic by comparison.

Yet, Tebow has captured America’s heart. I think it has to do with his optimistic outlook. I’m attracted to his ambivalence to the controversy surrounding his performance. He just wants to have fun playing and winning a football game. The drama can handle itself.

Sometimes we thrive on snarky, contrarian, and abrasive personas. It’s tempting to brand detractors as clueless jackasses barely worthy of the title as douchebag. We get pulled into meaningless exchanges over dogma and protocol and forget that our readers hold us to a higher standard.

Our readers want to feel better after reading our posts. They want to learn from our ability to sidestep the drama and deliver great content. They hope that we are the leaders, mentors, and role models they need to keep marching forward every day. Ultimately Tebow reminds us that attitude matters and the right attitude means more than performance.