Pull the trigger on those ch-ch-ch-changes

Day 68 – I have to admit… this week was very depressing for me. I shouldn’t, but I let the Gamecocks affect my mood. I’ve been thinking of that dang Auburn loss all week. And what is so frustrating is that Auburn didn’t beat us. We beat us.

I just got back from the USC/Kentucky game where we straight dominated the Wildcats 54-3. Finally, after putting up with Stephen Garcia’s immaturity off the field, the HBC recognized the inconsistenties on the field and made a change.

As GoGamecocks.com wrote “Steve Spurrier told everyone last week that he was handing the keys of his offense over to Connor Shaw. He didn’t reveal until Saturday, during South Carolina’s 54-3 whipping of Kentucky, that he was giving Shaw a brand new car.”

Coach Spurrier didn’t just change quarterbacks. He changed his entire play calling. We have one of the most naturally talented teams in the entire nation, and we were letting it all go to waste.

Now, it’s way too early to see if this change will have long term success. I mean, it was only Kentucky, a school that would be better fitted in the ACC, a conference where you can play absolutely no one all year and be #8 in the nation like Clemson. Still, we were wasting our talent, and Coach Spurrier, although late, recognized the need for change and made that change. Starting QB Connor Shaw was even named last week’s SEC Offensive Player of the Game.

A couple years back, there was a time in my career and in my life that I was feeling like the Gamecocks. I had talent and experience, but I was wasting it. Like Spurrier, it took me too long to make the big changes and again, like the Gamecocks, I suffered defeats and setbacks I should not have had. It sucked, but once I pulled the trigger on the changes, things immediately began looking up, and I became much happier.

I’m not going to go into detail here about those circumstances, but I think this should serve as an example for many of us. I keep saying it on this blog, probably because new examples come into my life every day, so I’m going to say it again right now – quit living a sucky life. Take a step back and recognize that your life might need a big change. You can win, but that might require you to make a hard, painful choice and move into a new direction.

Don’t wait until you’ve wasted your talent. Make the change now.

- Wesley Donehue