When I was in high school playing basketball my brother got me a small basketball engraved with the saying, “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” Not sure whether the quote is attributed to Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky or someone else but the point is clear.
I was a great shooter, top two on the team, yet I would look to pass more than shoot. Everyone would tell me to shoot the ball. My coach would yell at me when I didn’t take enough shots.
As I grew older and slowly got the point I started not only shooting more but also looking to create a shot if there was none right away.
I’m glad I learned that lesson as a kid through sports. The neat thing about life is that often times the same lesson shows up in different contexts and areas of life. When I graduated from college I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do specifically. I did know that I didn’t want to sit in an office behind a computer analyzing data all day.
Now as a business owner I am realizing the same lesson. There are many shots out there every day for me to take; prospects to add value to, clients to serve and deals to close. There are also times when I have to go out and create my own shot or my business may not be in business much longer.
What’s great about it is that it’s just a mindset that can be developed. Over time the more you build the habit of taking the shot as soon as you see it you will become better and better at it. It will become second nature to the point you don’t even feel any fear or hesitancy about it. It’s just what you do.
Misses and failure (I call failure lessons) are an inevitable right of passage to success. Your job is to embrace them and keep on taking your shot.
