Opportunities are often built on doing what we love

​Less than 20 years ago, Kalen DeBoer accepted his first college football head coaching job at the University of Sioux Falls. Last week, he accepted that same position at the University of Alabama. In doing so, he followed in the footsteps of the greatest college football coach ever, Nick Saban.

An unknown at Sioux Falls to taking over the reins of a legend at one of the most dominant football programs ever.

Now that's a journey.

I was listening to DeBoer in an interview last week. The reporter asked him, could you have ever imagined yourself coaching at the University of Alabama?

I loved DeBoer's answer. He said, out of college I was coaching high school football. And I loved it. I just loved being around the game. I could have been happy coaching high school football forever.

I just wanted to be around the game I loved.

He went on to say, if I had been dreaming about becoming the head coach at Alabama, it probably never would have happened.

It's true. How often do we let what we want to be stand in the way of finding joy in who we already are? When we are driven to be in a specific role, and we aren't there yet, we spend a lot more time lamenting what we are not than finding joy in what we are.

Steven Furtick says, "you will be sitting in tomorrow what you open your heart to God for today."

Too often we get our brains fixated on what we want to be tomorrow instead of opening our hearts to what we can love today.

DeBoer isn't the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide because he always wanted to be the coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide. He's their coach because he always loved the game of football, and he always kept his heart open to where that love might lead him.

I watched DeBoer's introductory press conference. Sitting in the front row was Nick Saban, watching and listening to every word.

DeBoer was asked if it's intimidating, if there is pressure following in the footsteps of the greatest to ever do it?

He said no, he doesn't see this job as a burden. He sees it as an opportunity.

That's what comes when every day we open our hearts to pursuing and embracing all that we love about this day. Opportunities don't often come on the other end of a plan, they often come on the other end of simply doing what we love.

Keep doing what you love coach. And good luck to you. (When you aren't playing Notre Dame 🤷‍♂️).