By Cathy Day, Special to SI.com

I came up with a game plan:

1. Settle down.
This scared me, but I bought a house in Pittsburgh, my first. I've lived in a lot of places since college, none of them for long. I told myself, You've been a free-agent long enough. Be a franchise player. Make Pittsburgh stick. So, I spent all my money. Every cent. I signed the papers. I own property in -- of all places -- Pittsburgh.

2. Quit smoking.
This scared me more, but I quit a 20-year, pack-a-day addiction. It was like voluntarily taking the football field wearing no protective pads, no helmet. Some days, I felt so sad and missed cigarettes so much, it was like grief, like someone I loved had died. But I needed to do it, and whenever I thought about cheating, I remembered the promise I'd made to myself -- and to the Colts -- just one season. Do your best every single day. See what happens. And I haven't had a cigarette in seven months.

3. Make friends.
The first Colts game of this season against the Giants -- the Brother Bowl, Manning vs. Manning -- took place on my 38th birthday, so I threw a party for myself, made chili and hot dogs, and for one day, my Steelers-loving friends became honorary Colts fans. I kept up this tradition whenever the Colts played a nationally-televised game, and slowly but surely, I made some wonderful, football-loving friends. Now, there's a tiny pocket of Colts Nation in the middle of Steelers Central.

4. Put me in coach -- I'm ready to date.
Putting yourself out there is the scariest step of all. My married friends said, "It'll happen when you least expect it." And then they'd turn around and say, "You can't just sit around doing nothing." I decided to give it the old college try. Every week, the Colts played a football game, and every week, I learned to play the game of love. Sometimes this meant a date. Sometimes it meant taking a little chance that might lead to one. Often, I felt embarrassed, horrified, even ashamed, but when I thought about giving up, I thought: Just one season. Do your best every single day. See what happens. The only time I gave myself a break was the week the Colts had a bye.

5. Don't stop believing.
There were times this season when I really didn't think I could keep going until the end of the season, when I lost faith in both the Colts and myself. But I am a Hoosier and, thus, an optimist. There's a reason three of the best sports movies of all-time are about Indiana sports: Hoosiers, Rudy and Breaking Away. I believe anything is possible if you try hard enough.

And so, the season is over. The Colts, bless their hearts, finally have their Super Bowl rings, and my life has taken a 180-degree turn. For the first time in a long time, I'm happy. I watched the game in a warm room full of good friends in a town that's starting to feel like home. No, there wasn't a fella sitting next to me, but for the first time in a long time, I really believe it's going to happen. From the Colts, I learned you have to prepare for the big win rather than waiting for it to magically arrive.

And you, reading this, what team do you love? Do you love it enough to become a better person? Love it enough to change your life -- and not just on Sunday? Then do it -- for just one season. Do your best every single day. Love your team, and love yourself. Make it personal, and see what happens. Maybe your team will win the Super Bowl, too.

Cathy Day is the author of The Circus in Winter (Harcourt, 2004) and is completing a memoir, Cinderella Story: My Season of Love and Football. She teaches in the Writing Program at the University of Pittsburgh.