P-F23: Choosing Wisely - Finding Pathways You Actually Already Know About Because You Are Reading This

This is a football pick’em contest. I know that, and you probably know that, but what if it was way more? Go straight to the registration page if you are more about picking winners than almost certainly probably changing your friggin life.

Here is Your Four-Part Plan to The Best Outcomes in Life

When digging up the courage to write this inspirational recruitment piece, I did what any of us would do given such an overwhelming task: I asked a chatbot. However instead of a four-part solution to making the best choices, she took me through an adventure down a well cleared path in a dense and mysterious forest. Almost immediately after embarking -- like after the first few trees on the edge of this dense forest -- a fork appeared. And just as it is always written, one path was well-trodden, bathed in warm sunlight, and adorned with vibrant flowers. The other path was -- and remember folks, I’m only a step inside the woods, and like, maybe just through some brush -- the other path was shrouded in shadows, with its twists and turns obscured by thick undergrowth.

We have all been here before. Am I right? Which one is the path least taken? Which is the one that leads into darkness, uncertainty, and potential danger? That is obviously the bad one. Without hesitation, you take the well-trodden path. It is the one bathed in warm sunlight and adorned with vibrant flowers every day and twice on Sundays. Let us remember that the choices we make not only reveal our character but also literally influence the path we tread and the outcomes we encounter. That sunny path sucked. It had no water or restrooms along the path. 0 stars. But here’s what I learned.

The Power of Mindful Decision-Making

Dear friends, imagine if our choices were like seeds we plant in the garden of our lives -- each seed, when sown thoughtfully, has the potential to grow into a beautiful and fruitful reality. In the context of decision-making, mindfulness invites us to pause, reflect, and truly comprehend the options before us. In the fast-paced game of football, it's easy to get swept away by the rushing running backs of life. We like backup quarterbacks in haste, and our decisions are driven by external wagers or fanatical emotions. But let's remember, hasty decisions often yield shallow results. Remember that 0-star dense forest trip? You get me.

Pick’em Dash Football is like a garden, a garden less traveled -commish

Embracing Responsibility and Accountability

Just as a coach takes responsibility to chart a gameplan, we too must call the plays of life with a sense of duty and ownership to our own win-loss record. And you guys, we’ve been taking a lot of L’s lately. Our choices, like pebbles dropped into a pond of forks in roads, create ripples. Lots of turbulent ripples actually. Put another way, at first you just got out Whataburgered, and next thing you know your choices are affecting the ones around you. It is essential to recognize the weight of your ripple making.

Make a splash -commish

Are you questioning things? Good. Are you lost? Click the registration link and recognize accountability isn’t a burden. 

Registering for Pick’em Dash Football is a pathway to growth and restoration. I meant accountability is a pathway to mindful blah blah you get it. Just as a seed buried in the earth transforms into a mighty tree, playing Pickem Dash Football, joining the journey to improving our choices, and creating a stronger connection to the 2023 football season can lead to a life rich with the best outcomes.

Navigating Challenges and Adversities

If you don’t see the connection, you just haven’t looked close enough -commish

Just as weightlifting strengthens our physical bodies, picking football games strengthens our mental resilience. We’ll workout the entire football season, which should leave you with just enough good decision-making equity for you to make it to the next fall season.

Game 1: NCAA Pick’em (played against the spread)

• 15 games per week
• Games will list and point spread for you to pick against
• Contest represents approximately 1/3 of the registration pot; Both 1st and 2nd place winners will get something

Game #2: NFL Pick’em (played straight up, i.e. no spread)

• All NFL games (14-16) per week
• Contest represents approximately 1/3 of the registration pot; 1st and 2nd place winners will get something

Game #3: NCAA Bowl Challenge (played confidence style)

• All the bowls (41? I've lost count)
• Picks are straight up (no spread)
• Contest represents approximately 50% of 33% of the pot (uh you do the math); 1st place winner only

Game #4: NFL Playoff Challenge (played against the spread, you bet with points Vegas-style)

• All the playoff games (11)
• Picks week-to-week; points are cumulative
• Contest represents approximately 50% of 33% of the pot; 1st place winner only

The donation for the games is $25, and all that is distributed back out as detailed above.

Each of these contests has been designed to build perseverance, character, and hope. These pick’em challenges, they are steppingstones toward greater character and stuff. As we journey through the Pick’em Dash Football 2023 season, let us remember that the picks we make today shape the outcomes of our pick’em score tomorrow. Hut, hut, and hike, you guys.

Mention you made it to the bottom of this post in the "Top 3 Things" section of the registration link for 3 bonus points.