I keep coming back to tennis. Why does this game continue to captivate yet frustrate me?

With my fused ankle, I struggle to run fast enough to play singles. Sometimes the ball lands right in front of me, and I freeze as if my Nike’s are glued to the court.

Intellectually, I know I have other options: I can step back, move left or right. But, instead, I don’t move, and I lose the shot.

My brain yaps: “Idiot, this is tennis, not rocket science! Why didn’t you move?”

When I let “Ms. Chatterbox” take control, she has a field day telling me I’ll never learn how to play tennis well, so why bother?

But sometimes, another wiser, saner part of me reminds me Ms. Chatterbox isn’t in charge and that I can learn from this experience.

“Ms. Wiser” also knows sports can be a metaphor for other parts of our life and wonders: Does this happen off the court as well? Where else have I chosen inaction over action?

In the first five years of my business, I did the opposite of what I was supposed to do:
I hired fast and fired slow.

~Margalit

In the first five years of my business, I did the opposite of what I was supposed to do, I hired fast and fired slow. There was this employee that needed to go, but I didn’t want to terminate him. I told myself he’d get better, we wouldn’t be able to find a good enough replacement, I didn’t want to spend time training another person, etc., etc.

Meanwhile, my team’s spirit sank, their productivity plummeted, and their trust in me as their leader diminished.

Same scenario, different court – I stood motionless even though there were other options. Other ways to “hit the ball.”

I realize now that there’s a significant similarity between these on and off-the-court scenarios.

The clue I need to pay attention to is when I believe I don’t have any options. That’s when I need to summon Ms. Wiser; who knows, this feeling is NOT TRUE.

My 3 Steps:

  1. STOP and TAKE A BREATH
  2. SUMMON THE WISE PART OF MYSELF – We all have that part!
  3. RETHINK: What are my options? What actions can I take to “play the ball”? (e.g., terminate the employee?)

The next time you’re in a tough business or personal predicament, and you believe you don’t have a choice, pause, take a breath, and consider the possibility that might not be true.

And if it’s not true, what other options can you choose?

 

I’d love to hear from you. If you want to delve deeper and take a test drive, you can email me here or schedule a conversation here.