“Forget all the reasons why it won’t work, and believe in that one reason that will work.” – Unknown

When I play tennis I am often amazed at one particular thing most women do without fail. If me or my partner hit a winning shot down the line, the player who got burned makes a significant move toward the alley to protect against that shot for the remainder of the game. I’m always amazed when this happens. A down the line shot is a hard shot to pull off repeatedly, it’s the highest part of the net, and this player has now eliminated themselves as a threat in the middle. Once bitten, twice shy?

Is that how we handle life, too? One failure, one misstep, and we essentially position ourselves in a safe place so “that” never happens again? We give our fears all the time in the world to percolate in our mind, leaving no time for our dreams. If we are always protecting ourselves against the worst, when does the best come? When and how does the winning shot ever happen? If we are always playing defense, we can’t win because we can’t score.

Today, forget the fears for a second because we are simply thinking. We are not taking action (yet) so we’re safe. Take a moment to think about how it will work—you’ve thought about how it won’t work long enough now. Give a few minutes to the dream, let that part of the brain light up. Jot some notes down, too. What would be the first step you’d take? Look, there is always a chance that the ball will pass you in the alley again, but it’s a low percentage shot to position yourself almost off the court. Get in the game. Most of the balls come up the middle and we need you to be there! Focus on the win! Focus on how it WILL work! You can do this!

With Gratitude,

Beth

P.S. Thank you to my dear friend Gino for teaching me to hold my ground after getting burned on an alley shot. His advice: “Make them beat you at least 3 times before you really slide over to cover the alley.”