One Year Can Change Everything

Posted by Jeffrey Ziegler in Uncategorized on June 15, 2010 | one response

It’s human nature to overestimate how much we can accomplish in a single month, and underestimate the miracles that can happen in a year.

I’ve found from training hundreds of people, that most just give up in the first month because they overestimated what they could accomplish. And it’s so much easier to walk away and forget about doing more, than to face the simple fact that they missed their mark.

With this in mind, a year ago I sat down with my two oldest boys, and mapped out a plan that helped them go from knowing nothing about the game of lacrosse, to making a high level team and then even going on to win the State Championship as starters (yes, in only ONE year!).

I remember sitting them down, and explaining all the road blocks… and they assured me they really wanted this. So I told them that if they just trusted me and trusted the plan we made, miracles would happen. And because of daily repetition and focused practice, they achieved some extraordinary results… so much so that they are now getting all sorts of offers to play from even more advanced teams.

I’m no major lacrosse guru. I just knew that what needed to be done was a lot of focused and intentional practice (I wrote more about this Law of 10,000 Hours here), and I mapped out a plan for them to do that.

I am proud of my boys and what they accomplished. They stuck with it…. and a few weekends ago, at the State Championship game… Me, and all the other fans that packed the sidelines, were mesmerized with the mental focus their team showed on the “battle” field…

They played to defend their undefeated record, and to reclaim their Championship title from last year… and the other team tried desperately to strip it from them. Both teams were giving everything they had to become Champions.

Both teams were good. Both teams played well. And both teams wanted it. And the nail-biting Championship game was so close it came down to the final few seconds.

After some crazy calls from the ref, both teams were declared co-champions.

And although it wasn’t exactly the result my boys team came for, they walked off the field with the satisfaction of knowing they didn’t just rely on their talent, but gave every ounce of energy and determination… and their practice had paid off.

As in any area of life, whether it is athletics, academics, trading, or anything else… it takes more than just talent to emerge as the Champion.

It does take talent to score a goal… but it takes character to stay calm and focused in spite of a lousy call from the ref.

It takes physical conditioning to burn down the field on fast break… but it takes courage to sprint head on toward the line of defenders standing between you and your goal.

I’ve heard it said before that, “Talent will fail without skill obtained from practice”. I would add that, skill and talent together will only go so far without courage and character.

A year can change everything.

What do you plan to accomplish in a year? Leave a comment below and let me know.

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