Serve To Lead

There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.

Steven Wright

If you’ve ever been fishing and been “zeroed” you know this all too well….. You analyze every cast you made, the wind, the clouds, etc, etc, etc. But the fact of the matter is you probably cast on the wrong side of a log, or scrolled your phone instead of casting, or didn’t take a chance on a cast because you might get “hung up.” You didn’t catch anything because of the choices you made. The difference in the margin between winning and losing is even finer than your 10 lb test fishing line.

Wins and losses are determined months or maybe even years before the “contest,” and always by the finest of margins. This is true not just in sports, but also in everyday life.

Sure some games have lopsided scores and in life our bank account ledger looks nothing like Elon Musk’s. But The numbers aren’t where the smallest margins originate. The fine line between winning and losing is found in the choices we make.

This week I observed this in action every single day.

As I reflected on my own team’s off-season and programming, our in-season sessions, and even the choices I made in games, it’s amazing the clarity I could now see things with. And that’s what happens to us in life as well. We become so hyper-focused on “the win” that we lose sight of how the smallest decisions we make each day are going to affect the next day, and the next month, and the “big game” somewhere in the season.

I observed it in interviews in which I must assess a person’s ability to impact our athletic department and noticed how the simple choices they’ve made in their personal and professional life have created a repertoire that either impresses or fails to. I also spoke with colleagues that will take positions elsewhere and some that will stay. And the deciding factors found their origins in the smallest of details.

These miniscule margins are apparent in our lives, behaviors, and actions as well. We either create excellent habits or we’ve chosen to say no to excellence by dismissing discipline and sacrifice of the now for the good of what will be. And instead indulge our desire for comfort now, and dismiss the consequences and inevitable loss later.

We miss the importance of what we do day by day and perhaps minute by minute.

We’ve become less disciplined and less GROUNDED. {This link contains some great grounding techniques!} TRY ONE!

In James Kerr’s book “Legacy. What The All Blacks Can Teach Us About The Business of Life” the author discusses how the New Zealand rugby squad uses mantras and grounding to bring them back to the moment and what has to be done right then. A simple statement that holds the key to their focus, and a technique that reminds them of exactly where they are and what they must do right then and there in the moment that will make the most significant difference. The margins between success and failure are found in the decisions we make in those moments. Al Pacino as Tony D’Amato in Any Given Sunday says it better:

You find out life's this game of inches, so is football. Because in either game - life or football - the margin for error is so small. I mean, one half a step too late or too early and you don't quite make it. One half second too slow, too fast and you don't quite catch it. The inches we need are everywhere around us. They're in every break of the game, every minute, every second. “

Questions For YOU:

1) How can you become more grounded in your relationships this week?

2) How can grounding help you in big decisions you have to make soon that are going to impact you, your family, and others you care about?

3) What small decisions can you make today that will impact your life for the better in one month?

Application:

A) Carve 10 minutes out of your day and answer those 3 questions thoughtfully & reflect on your answers.

B) Next, identify an outcome or goal you want to accomplish that’s out in front of you. Then, narrow your decisions down to the ground level of YES or NO.

C) Lastly, create a path from YES and NO leading away from the desired outcome you have in your life for that specific decision and begin to fill in what those paths look like.

Your actions and their effects are now right in front of your face. Get grounded, focus on what you have to do now, and do it INTENTIONALLY.

Here’s an example:

Musician Andy Gullahorn sums it up beautifully in his song “Small Things.”

Bonus: And what I hope you can also take away from this process of intentional decision making, reflection, and finding your purpose is that there is so much beauty around you already. In this world and in your life. Practice gratitude for it today. Pick up the book you’ve been meaning to read. Make the phone call you should’ve made a week ago. Put on your shoes and go for a walk, or heck take them off and walk through the grass! Pick up the bar and make yourself stronger one rep at a time. Refine your resume, say please and thank you. COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS.

So whatever bank you’re standing on today in your life, breathe deep & feel the grass between your toes, you’re exactly where you need to be. Now, focus on one thing that will make a difference in this cast you need to make and then do it with laser like accuracy, intent, and purpose. The payoff in a day, week, or month could be monstrous, just don’t let the outcome you want….become the one that got away.

Have a blessed week.