New York Jets head football coach Herm Edwards’ classic rant still resonates today. “You Play to Win the game!”. It bluntly but clearly illustrates one of the great aspects of sports. People may not give you a chance. A team may be on a losing streak or completely overmatched. But the players still have to believe. They still have to play to win the game!
And that worked out with unexpected results back in the winter of 2013.
A Minor Miracle
Every year, dozens of local Washington, DC area teams compete for the championship in the prestigious Georgetown Prep CYO Basketball Tournament. It is a highlight for youth basketball players throughout the region and provides bragging rights for generations to come.
In 2012, my son’s 6th grade DeChantal team was excited to participate, but not a credible threat to advance deep in the bracket. And to make matters worse, they had to face a sizable and athletic Mercy team, who had soundly thrashed them just a week earlier.
Down by fifteen points at halftime, it was playing out just as most expected. But then something amazing happened. Slowly, DeChantal chipped away at the lead. The players grew more confident. And they were still in the game with only minutes left to play.
That allowed the final sequence to play out. A couple of crazy bounces and some clutch shots catapulted DeChantal to a miracle victory! After the celebration, the parents and players checked the bracket to see who DeChantal would be playing in the next round. To everyone’s shock and amusement, Mercy had already been crowned the winner. They ultimately had to cross out Mercy’s name and write DeChantal into the next round!
It was a great reminder of the beauty of sports. But it was a better reminder for all of us. Even when others may count us out, even when the odds of achieving our goals are infinitesimally small, we still have to forge ahead. We can’t lay down. No matter the circumstances, we have to put forth the effort. We play to win the game!
Long Odds Can’t Stop Us
At various points, we all face long odds in our careers. Perhaps we have little experience and still interview for a stretch job. Perhaps we start a small company and try to displace a Fortune 500 behemoth. Perhaps we face daunting sales goals and still grind out the rest of the year. Perhaps we agree to teach unruly students and still reinforce our positive message.
Resilience does not calculate the odds. Resilience does not care what other people think. Resilience allows us to keep playing the game. And as long as we are playing, we might as well play to win!
We Can’t Remain Stagnant
And the same is true in our personal lives. Massive financial pressure. Unruly teenagers. Strained relationships. The everyday stress of navigating family life. It would be so easy to throw up our hands and give up. And who would blame us?
After all, we are way behind. Life has delivered adversity. People have counted us out. Why not accept the “inevitable” outcome?
Because we are resilient. And as long as we keep moving forward, we always have a chance. Resilience does not allow us to remain stagnant. Resilience does not allow us to feel sorry for ourselves. Resilience provides hope for the future. And if we keep putting forth the effort, we are never out of the game.
Resilience is a Muscle
But effort alone does not always translate to success. Mindset does not always help us overcome the long odds. Sometimes, we believe but still come up short. Not all underdogs win. Nobody goes undefeated for their entire lives.
And that is okay. We all want success. We all want to achieve our goals. We all want personal and professional harmony. But that is not always realistic.
We have to stay focused on the bigger picture. Demonstrating effort in times of strife strengthens our confidence. Even if we are not successful in the initial battle, our effort and positive mindset will prepare us for the next one. Over time, we build resilience like a muscle. And even in the face of defeat, we know we have another round left in us. And they will have to pencil us into the next round!
We Have to Believe
We can’t listen to the naysayers. We can’t buy into the narrative of defeat. Past performance does not always dictate future success.
We have to keep playing the game. And as long as we are competing, there can be only one goal in mind. Hello! We play… to win…the game!