Sitting outside in the typically cold temperatures of Green Bay last Sunday watching the Packers run through their pre-game warm up, I wondered what I would do if the Packers actually lost to the New York Giants. Would it be heartbreaking? Would it be maddening? How important was this game to me? It’s just a game, right?!

I guess it’s just a game unless you’re emotionally committed. Then it becomes more than a simple win or loss. It’s similar to putting your heart and soul into the acquisition of a new client or preparing for a big presentation that you want/need to go well. If you’re emotionally committed, it is different.

Sometimes in business we try to not get emotionally committed to opportunities, prospects, and sometimes even clients. It’s just business after all. But anything worth having is probably worth putting our heart and soul into. The problem with being a sports spectator, however, is that the only thing we can do is cheer and hope and cheer, but there is little we can do to change the outcome. I think that may feel even worse.

So, back to Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field. The unthinkable happens. The Packers played terrible on both sides of the ball. Dropped passes, fumbles, poor coverage, penalties – overall a disappointing performance – or as my dad said, they “laid an egg” (I’m not even sure what that means, but I know it is bad). Most fans, including me, were in shock as we left the stadium. How could they have actually lost after such an unbelievable season???

By late Sunday evening, my pre-game questions about how it would feel if they lost were answered. Sunday and all day Monday I suffered through a sad, sick feeling like my beloved dog ran away and will not be coming back. All over a football team! (You should see what I feel like when Red Zone Marketing doesn’t land a big new client!)

Winning is an incredible high. But the tradeoff is that we also inevitably get the agony of defeat. I guess if something is meaningful, we care. My Grandma taught me everything about football and the Packers and because of her I do care – about a lot of things – sometimes more than seems sane.

What do you do for your business when faced with the agony of defeat?