“We must look for ways to be an active force in our own lives.
We must take charge of our own destinies, design a life of substance
and truly begin to live our dreams.”
~Les Brown
“No. I’m not going play that way. I want to win.”
My tennis team member was firm. She was not going to practice our doubles drill as designed.
Hearing this resistance, our tennis coach calmly explained that the drill was supposed to help us think and play more offensively, to be the first to come to the net, taking balls out of the air and putting them away. In the long run, we’d learn a new skill that would definitely give us a better chance to win.
My tennis colleague would have none of it. She wanted to play back, preferring to hit from the baseline with a strong, consistent ground stroke.
Our coach said “Fine. We’ll see who wins.”
Over the next hour, rotating partners, we played the drill, keeping track of the points and how they were won.
You guessed it. Our stubborn team member lost each point when she stayed back, preferring to play it “her” way.
I smiled when I thought of how this same stubbornness plays out in the world of work. How often do we resist change, preferring to do things the way we’ve always done? How often do we let short term “win’s” get in the way of learning new skills that would actually benefit us in the long run?
What would be possible if we began to play offense?
To your success,
Mary
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