I was reminded of an important life lesson recently.
I played a two-set tennis match against a 19-year-old tennis coach. He’s a talented player – he strikes the ball sweetly, accurately, and with a lot of pace.
I lost the first set, six games to one. He outplayed me. But then he offered me some advice. He is a coach, after all.
He said it seemed that I was playing as if I was afraid to miss. I was holding back, not fully committing to my shots. Against a player like him, who doesn’t make many errors, playing that way makes it almost impossible to win points.
He told me, “Just go for it. If you miss, you miss – but at least you’re giving yourself a chance.” I realised he was right. If I don’t go for it, then I’ve lost already.
His advice changed everything. The next set was 50:50 all the way. In the end, he won it 7-5, but it was close. The difference in my play between the first and second set was dramatic.
I didn’t mind not winning – it was a huge learning experience. The difference between striving with determination and playing it safe out of fear.
As I walked home afterwards, I found myself reflecting on how much life is like this.
Do you ever hold back because you’re afraid of getting things wrong? Afraid of failing? Afraid of making a mistake – of “missing,” so to speak? I certainly have.
But when we do this, it keeps us rooted to the spot. And we end up doing little or nothing. In a sense, we fail without ever giving ourselves a chance.
But what if it works?
What if you win?
What if what you do hits the mark exactly.
Because unless we give it our all in life, we risk missing out on something wonderful – whether this is in love, work, play, or anything else.
Ask yourself if you’re holding back anywhere in your life because you’re more focused on what could go wrong.
Then ask yourself this instead:
‘What if it works?’