In the National Football League one of the toughest positions on the field is defensive cornerback. This player is frequently assigned to cover the best receiver on the opposing team. Professional-level receivers are typically blazing fast runners who have the ability to score on any given play. The cornerback’s play can make a huge wdifference in the final outcome of a game – most recently demonstrated by the New England Patriots’ decision to bench their starting cornerback, Malcolm Butler, for the Super Bowl.
Knowing that the receivers pose such a threat on every play, I asked a former NFL cornerback how he had handled the pressure of the position. He responded, “You’ve got to have a short memory.”
That’s pretty good advice for the rest of us, too. If you want to advance to the top of your respective field, you’re going to encounter some opposition along the way. No great achievement comes without effort and, often, trouble along the way. Think about how many entrepreneurs start businesses that ultimately fail, or businesses whose latest product turns out to be a flop. How do you keep going in the face of such losses?
A great example of this principle in action is the truly humbling game of golf. Every shot counts (if you’re playing by the rules), and you must have the ability to put the bad shots behind you in a hurry and make up for them on the next one. Professional golfers are masters at this. Whenever you hear them interviewed after a round, you can hear how much they take pride in how they overcame the bad shots to pull off a good round, or even a victory.
As Lou Holtz once said, “Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.” The next time something knocks you down in life or in business, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and remember to have a short memory. Put this thing behind you and press on.
Have a great weekend,
Ro