I just had the thrill of a lifetime!

This month I had the thrilling experience of watching my nephew, Nate, play in his first D1 college football game.

It might never have happened if he wasn’t willing to switch some things up.

You see, he gave up the position he’d been playing on defense his entire football career. And he took a chance.

When Nate’s coaches approached him to play on the offensive line and laid out the potential benefits, the choice became a bit of a no-brainer. While my nephew was an outstanding defensive lineman and a star player during his high school career, he was red-shirted his first two years of college. So he was sitting on four years of eligibility but still had six guys in front of him to get playing time.

His coaches said, you can stay where you are or you can switch to the offensive line, get all the play time you want and probably get drafted and make a few million dollars.

Is that worth taking a chance? Was it worth giving up the comfort of playing the position he’d always played and loved? Was it worth all the work it would take to learn something new?

Nate decided it was. And in the first game of the season he not only got on the field, he posted some of the best stats on his team.

Proud doesn’t begin to describe what I felt watching him on TV in his first college start.

So, let this be your reminder to:

• Stay open to possibility

• Use feedback as a tool

• Know your priorities and move in that direction

One of the gifts of switching sides of the ball is that he’s now an offensive lineman with a ton of insight into what the defense is doing. Clearly, that’s an asset. Switching it up is a great way to add new energy to your success formula.

Stay open to your options!

BTW: What if his gamble didn’t pay off? Trying new things isn’t a mistake. It’s just more information to guide you in your next decisions.