from a Jeffery Gitomer newsletter written by Noah Rickun:
As I caught the pass and planted my feet, I looked toward the basket. It was the championship game in what would be my last season of organized basketball. I was twelve. I may have been the worst player on the team, but I loved the game and, thankfully, my coach always played me a few minutes in the first quarter.
As I took the shot, I heard someone scream from the stands, “Don’t shoot!”. It was my mom.
My mother loved me so much that she couldn’t stand the thought of my being upset from missing the basket (the odds of me making a jump shot were probably somewhere just north of 10 percent). It had nothing to do with how she would feel if I missed the shot. My mom just didn’t want to see me disappointed.
I took the shot anyway. And, I made it.
Often, your closest friends and family advise against taking your shot – not in sports, per se, but in your business or your life. They do it to protect you. They warn you of what might not work with your new business plan. Of what could go wrong if you land that big interview. Of how risky it is to open your restaurant.
They tell you they love you and that, “it’s not you, it’s the economy,” or, “you’re great but it’s such a competitive industry.” Your friends tell you about what can go wrong, but rarely about what can go right. It’s because they don’t want to see you get hurt.
What to do? Ignore them. Ignore your mother. Ignore everyone. Take the shot.
Take YOUR shot. Before you take your shot, here are five tips to keep in mind:
1. You will regret the shots you don’t take rather than the shots that you miss.
2. As Wayne Gretzky tells us, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.”
3. If someone gives you unsolicited advice, consider the source. If you don’t respect that someone for his or her accomplishments, erase the advice from your memory.
4. When your friends and family help you choose between two alternatives, they will most likely recommend that you choose the easier path. Choose the harder one.
5. Solicit only insight. Only you can make the decision. Only you know what you are capable of.
I live by the maxim, “Life is about success; and success comes from the Journey”
So Start. Go. Shoot. Leap. Launch. Ship. Stand. Become. BE. DO. Have.
Your mother (and your true friends) will be right behind you. And then you’ll be soaking up her words of encouragement and congratulations for your accomplishments.
Live with Intention,
Dr Bill
