Monday Mindset
– an uncommon approach to school, sports, and life –

Today’s Monday Mindset: The Surefire Way to Fail at Anything

In today’s Monday Mindset, I want to give you the surefire way to fail in absolutely anything you do. And to help illustrate this point, I’ll use something that happens time and time again in sporting events.

I know this firsthand from coaching so many basketball teams over the years. If a team is down by 11 or 12 points with two minutes left in the game, you’ll often see players get called over in a timeout and begin to droop. They droop. Their eyes go down. You can see it in their body language. You can see it in the level of energy that they have. They’ve conceded defeat.

It’s nearly a guarantee that the moment you can see defeat, you will be defeated.

There’s nearly no chance of coming back when you’ve given up all hope. And that’s the surefire way to fail in just about anything, to give up all hope.

One of the things that I demand of every player and every team that I coach is that regardless of how much we’re down, if there’s still time on the clock, we will – not we can, not we’ll try – but we will find a way to succeed and prevail.

You may not be able to succeed and prevail in your circumstances, but it’s nearly a guarantee that someone else with the exact same set of circumstances as you could find a way to succeed and prevail.

Instead of spending your time drooping, giving up, complaining or making excuses, why not devote all your time and energy to finding the way to succeed and prevail?

I can guarantee you, as PGC founder Dick DeVenzio used to say, someone in a hospital somewhere attached to a respirator would love to come out of that hospital room and give your set of circumstances a shot. They would love to.

Why not stop making excuses, stop drooping, stop giving up on your circumstances and put all of your effort and attention onto trying to find a way to prevail? And just possibly you may find a way.

I know from having coached countless teams over the years, when our teams have taken on the perspective, “We’re down by 12, but there’s still 90 seconds left in the game,” there could be a way. And if we find a way, if we can find a way, it’ll be our greatest comeback story of the year. It’ll make the papers. It’ll make the press. It will be a story for the ages if we can find a way.

This takes mental toughness. This takes a commitment to choosing to see your circumstances, regardless of how bleak as an opportunity, and, quite possibly, your greatest opportunity.

Regardless of whatever circumstance you’re experiencing today, choose to welcome and embrace that circumstance. Don’t fall prey to hopelessness, discouragement, or throwing in the towel, because this just could be your greatest moment yet.

READ MORE: Biography of a Failure