NFL quarterbacks are some of the highest-paid people in the world — and for good reason. Their job is to stand in the center of the field while some of the largest, strongest athletes on the planet are paid unbelievable sums of money to hit them as hard as they legally can. If most of us were being chased by humans built like armored bulldozers, we’d probably feel stressed… or angry… or terrified.
But not everyone handles it that way.
Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs does something different — something surprisingly human. After a defender rushes him and the play ends, instead of getting up angry or frustrated, Mahomes often looks at the defender and says something like:
“Great rush, 78.”
Think about that. He compliments the person whose full-time job is to knock him down.
Why would he do that?
Mahomes explained that when players like you, they don’t try to hurt you as much. If they respect you, they don’t take that extra little twist, slam, or shove at the end of the play. It’s not softness — it’s strategy. His mission is to win games and stay healthy long enough to keep doing what he loves.
But there’s a deeper lesson:
If he can show appreciation to the person literally trying to tackle him to the ground…why can’t we show some kindness to people who simply disagree with us?
Most of us aren’t getting physically hit. We’re just dealing with criticism, disagreement, personality differences, or conflict in conversation.
Try this: Compliment the person who challenges you. Acknowledge the effort of someone who opposes you. Respect the people who don’t share your perspective.
It might not make your life easy, but it will make your life easier.
And sometimes, that’s all we need.