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Beating the Odds

Choosing Your Response

Peak performance expert Dave Cross says this: “No situation has any meaning except the one your give it.”

In other words, whenever a situation presents itself, you choose the response.

Whether it’s being sent to the minor leagues, being cut, whatever — you choose the response.

This year my team finds itself in a very challenging conference. To say there are no days off is an understatement; we must be fully prepared for every opponent. There are no dates that we can point to and say, “That one looks like a sure win.” On the contrary, many of our games will come against programs that are deeper and more experienced than we are.

As with any other situation in life, we can choose our response. One option would be to feel sorry for ourselves. The other — the one we are choosing — to to say: We don’t have very far to go to find the very best competition in the state!

And once you look at it that way, you can choose again. You decide whether you are going to rise up to the level of your opponents or not.

But it all begins with looking at any situation and choosing your response.

Coach Cross tells a story. He once brought his team into the home of an arch-rival, and the territory was hostile. There was a packed house and lots of noise. The fans were chanting and stamping their feet. Cross could feel the intimidation and he his players felt it, too. Their confidence was dropping by the moment, and he knew he had to think fast. He did.

He said, “This is GREAT!” His players looked at him like he was crazy. What was so great about all this intimidation?

He told them: “All this noise and theater tells us they don’t think they beat us on their own!”

His players smiled, relaxed, and went out and won.

He had chosen the correct response.

Will you?

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