The Comeback

It’s one of the best things in basketball or in any sport. The team gets down early and then fights and claws and comes out on top.

It resonates with all of us because we know if we were ever declared victorious, we have all the scratching and clawing to show for it. We live in the scratching and clawing. A comeback win is perhaps the only type of win available to us.

The part of the metaphor that doesn’t really hold up for most of us is that no one is against us. So don’t get distracted by looking for someone to blame. Just keep scratching and clawing

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The Bar And The Bounce Back

When a good team is playing bad, they look like a bad team but they aren’t.

So where does the identity of a team come from?

Here’s a couple ideas…

The bar and the bounce back.

How good can you get your worst day to be? And when you get that low, how long does it take to bounce back?

The higher the bar and quicker the bounce back is a big part of defining a team.

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Dribbling Through The Lane

(Yep I think I’m gonna go the distance with the basketball posts this week)

If four or five players are standing around the perimeter just passing the ball around, it’s very orderly and systematic but it can get pretty stale, pretty boring, pretty lack luster.

Sometimes it’s important to incite a little chaos.

Dribbling the ball through the lane does the trick. Dribbling through the lane adds the right amount of tension (for the offense and defense). It makes everyone wake up and pay attention…it puts the competitive look back into everyones eyes.

We all need that. Whether it’s us or the people we work with…someone’s gotta shake it up.

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Everybody Can Make 3s

-People hit three pointers everyday. All around the world, thousands of people shoot from the three point line and make it. So why are some three pointers more special than others?

-If you miss the game winning shot and the buzzer sounds and then you go pick up the ball and hit the same shot ten time in a row, no one cares. Why?

-Why isn’t the game exactly like practice?

There’s a reason the seats face the stage. There is something special about the stage. About doing it in front of people. About the weird stepped up energy in a room when a lot of people are focusing on a few people.

Doing it in front of people takes the performer closer to the edge. Yes I’m able to do this but now all these people believe THIS is what I do. And they might believe this is who I am. It might start to blur and weave the lines of ability and identity. Which adds pressure…I need to live up to my ability because my ability defines my identity.

The stage brings so many things together. This is why we watch. We know there’s been plenty of practicing and rehearsing but then that last step onto the stage and into the spotlight does something else.

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Taking The Shot

It’s a pretty bold move.

March Madness is upon us. And although I never played college basketball, our high school post season happened at the same time…so the two feel tied together. So yes, it’s like I’m the one making the big shots as I watch the college tournament every year.

But the decision to shoot the basketball is gutsy.

You have four teammates who are very good at shooting too. Maybe one of them should take the shot. Who is cutting to the rim? Who is setting the screen? Who is open? Who’s the tallest? How’s my balance and confidence and tension and fatigue and focus?

In the face of all those variables it makes the most sense to not shoot. Too many risks. Too many things pointing toward reconsidering, hesitating, delaying and over thinking.

So many valid reasons not to…but the players shoot anyway. Whether the shot goes in or not is another story…but with the weight of all those factors on their back, they simply decide to take the shot.

»» I’ve made a bunch of basketball posts around this time each year. Here’s a few oldies…

Why I Love March Madness

In The Middle Of The Madness

Why March Madness Works

One And One

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When It's Over

We’re not good at scripting endings because we don’t often do it. For three main reasons…

Sometimes the endings are out of our control.

Sometimes you never knew when the end was.

But the more likely reason is that we let things fizzle and fade. We don’t script an ending and mark it because it’s scary to draw the line and declare it’s over. If we let it fizzle no one will notice and no one will ask. But if you script an ending you invite the uncomfortable question, ‘why did it end?’.

The opportunity to mark the ending (even when you don’t feel like it) is a gift to your future self. Ending the chapter with eyes wide open and turning the page.

Hum Love on Spotify and Apple