Anyone who watches the Pro Bowl–the NFL’s fan chosen all-star game–knows that identifying specific players isn’t always easy. Players from all teams shed their standard uniforms and don game-specific duds that identify either the AFC or the NFC. The only thing that saves us visually challenged fans is that they get to keep their regular helmets, shoes, and accessories. Only from the topside can a fan pick out a Colt, a Dolphin, a Jaguar, or a Seahawk. Even then, it can get a bit blurry in the fast action.
Except for the Packers players.
With nothing more than a sidelong glance, any fan can immediately pick out a Packers player. While these guys fit right in when they’re playing with the full complement of their team, the glaring PMS-1235C gold of their helmets and shoes (not the glittery gold of royalty but a revved up version of 1962 refrigerator) makes a pretty bold statement against the blue and white of the NFC uniforms. Indeed, I have to say that it looks downright gaudy.
And that’s okay.
Those colors (as a metaphor for the team) earned those players the right to be there. It was the combination of team play and their contribution to it that made “The Chosen” stand out. Without those colors, those guys wouldn’t be there. Whether a player’s colors are green and gold, orange and black, or blue and white, he should wear them proudly.
Even though you may not be a football star, that goes for you, too. Your colors are really the sum of your experiences–those same experiences that brought you wherever you are today. So don’t hide those experiences; instead, wear them like badges for your lessons learned. Even if you move on from your team or perform outside your normal arena, don’t hide who you are. Show your true colors. You’ve earned them.