During a busy time at work, I took two days off. Because I wanted to spend time with my son- my youngest- who deserves as much of my time as anyone else in this world. Who was being honored for his service to his school.
He had tremendous belief that his team would win its last home basketball game. Because they were good enough- great enough?- and because they wanted it- badly. And, they didn’t. They lost by one point- but could have just as easily won by one point- with a shot that just tantalized for 2 of the last 4 seconds of the game- rolling out of the basket.
Now, my son is an excellent gauge of character and ability. I’ve watched him acquire those traits and abilities over time. So, I know he truly examined what his team could achieve. And, watched his coach help hone those team members into a cohesive unit.
But, they lost. Oh, I can tell you that the refs were terrible. (That would be a step above their actual performance.) But, that only goes so far. The team allowed 24 offensive rebounds. There’s no excuse for that. The team failed to capitalize on their free throws (even though they were intentionally fouled , which provided those “opportunities”.)
And, those of you who know me, also know that I am not a basketball fan. (OK, now that my son is the senior manager for the Wolverines, I follow the team, but my sport is the Phillies. Period.) So, why would I write about this? Because this has valuable lessons for my son, for me, and for you.
We need to know that even if we have the world’s best product, with the world’s best team behind us (or in front of us), there are no guarantees in this world. We can still fail. Sometimes, we fail because of forces beyond our control. (The refs deliberately have it against you.) But, that is only contributory.
Because if we stopped those offensive turnovers, even one of them, would have yielded 2 or 3 less points for the Hoosiers. And, we would have won anyway. Because if we made one more foul shot, we would have tied or won the game.
So, we need to know that, despite all our preparations, all our skill, we need to always outperform, we need to always outthink, and we need to stay focused.
Success depends upon it.
An addendum for today’s publication (the post was written a few weeks ago):
My son also predicted his team would make the Final Four- in September! And, lo and behold, this coming weekend, they will be doing just that. Proving that we can learn from our failures, we can overcome adversity, and still reach our goals. Don’t let one- or a few- failures make you into a “loser”. Learn from those episodes, to become the winner you want to be!
I like http://t.co/q1qRVugi5F
This is an important lesson. (one I know well!) One failure doesn’t define me it just helps me to know what won’t work the next time.
Shawn recently posted..About Me Page Help
Thanks for that vote of confidence, Shawn…
That was the “point” of the post!
One Point http://t.co/Lmiueitoqv via @Adjuvancy
This is a terribly important lesson. We can’t count ourselves out until we actually sit down and say we are done. As long as there is swing in our fists we can keep going 😉 I hold onto this a lot!! Wonderful post.
Lisa recently posted..Yin And Yang by Lisa Brandel
Hopefully, we keep our hands unfurled and moving back and forth. I’m not so sure I would want to always have fisticuffs at the ready, Lisa…
Hi Roy!
I wrote a post a while back about why I stopped believing in failure, only success or learning. It’s such an important way to look at life because seeing things as failures only keeps you stuck.
And you are so right that focus is so important to success, knowing where you want to go & heading in that direction only.
Thanks for the great post!
Shelli Johnson recently posted..Ten Crucial Tips To Help You Get Your Book Reviewed
Absolutely correct, Shelli- the way we look at things sets how we work with them. Which is why we always need to step back and examine our focus- and our bias! Too often, it’s our bias that makes us miss crucial elements which preclude our outright success.
Thanks for the visit and the comment.
Excellent life lesson, Roy. And I AM a basketball fan. 😉
Cathy Miller recently posted..3 Tax Season Tips for Better Business Communication
Glad you liked the lesson, Cathy- and that a basketball fan found it of interest, as well.
Thanks for the visit AND the comment.
I like http://t.co/21CYVudfdy Excellent life lesson from the world of sports ☺
One Point #basketball #success #defeat #life #lesson http://t.co/fn1z4qoMuo via @Adjuvancy
Do you need to know how to have success in business and in life? Here’s one man’s take on scoring that one point. http://t.co/hBqKNOt98m
Learning from mistakes http://t.co/T8J08p4W4R
It is still frustrating if you don’t know what it is that you need to know to succeed, Roy. Real life doesn’t come with a playbook, not counting the Bible, which doesn’t exactly tell you how to play basketball or how to be an effective business person.
Ann Mullen recently posted..In Home Care Givers: Attention Members of the Sandwich Generation
No, it doesn’t, Ann. Which is why I have a post in my queue that will address what we need to to do to determine which path(s) provide the most promise. (I’m thinking about moving it up- especially, after you statement above!)
Hi Roy,
I was nodding along as I read this post – you’ll know that I’ve used sport to illustrate this kind of lesson many times, and you can’t beat a more personal example than your son!
cheers, Gordon
Thanks, Gordon, for the visit, for the non-verbal assent, and the great comments. I appreciate it.
And to also know that failure only makes us a better person if we learn from it!
Hajra recently posted..Life slipping, miracles happening and life!
Perfectly said, Hajra.
Thanks for that simple- but great- addition!
One Point http://t.co/8MLJifL9c0 via @Adjuvancy #success
Great post and an important thing to remember, thanks.
Harriet Stack recently posted..Are you assuming?
Glad you came by and left a comment, Harriet.
I appreciate you taking the time to read this important message.