Taking Shots

Today I had a cool opportunity to shoot some hoops for a few minutes. It had been awhile, although I used to have a great shot.  I took around 30 shots and made one.. One!! 

It was funny. 

It was semi-embarrassing (although I was the only who saw--hopefully)

And it got me thinking. 

If you had seen me, it would have looked weird. I kept laughing at myself, in a jovial way, but kept taking shots, although my head was saying, stop while you've only missed 10, 20, 25 shots.. 

I kept going. 

I made 1/30 shots. 

But that 1 shot... Let me tell you... It was perfect. I knew as soon as it left my hands it was a swoosh. I could feel it. It was a win. Even a few hours later, I still remember the sweet feeling of that shot. It was beautiful and I owned that shot... 

Somehow the other 29 misses didn't matter. I may remember the comedy of the missed shots, but I think about/ remember the victory of that 1 perfect shot.

(And let me just clarify... In my mind it was perfect.. Thank goodness there is no YouTube evidence! If you're a ball player you may have cringed... But to me.. It was beautiful!)

How much does this apply to life, to success, to striving for a goal? I've experienced this other times: Crossing the finish line at my first marathon, playing the chimes perfectly during a band concert in high school (when I had no business in that position), hitting a new PR with my deadlift, starting my own business and walking away from a W-2 forever, and experiencing someone else succeed at a goal that I played a small part in. 

We all take shots, and we all fail. 

Mistakes are a part of life. 

It's good. 

If you were perfect, you wouldn't have anything to strive for. 

The goal is not perfect.

The goal is to set a goal and go after it with your whole heart. 

To do something that matters. 

Does it matter that I played basketball for a few minutes today? No. But what matters is the lesson.

Sometimes you take shots. And you may miss a lot. But with consistency and a not-giving-up attitude, you will hit that sweet shot and it'll inspire you to go for another.

What if, in your life, for ever "30 shots" you take, you get 1 swoosh?

Is it worth the fight? The repetition? The semi-potential-humiliation?!

I say yes, and I encourage you to go for the swoosh (whatever that means to you in your life). Look back on the missed shots with humor, take the failure in stride, and remember the feeling of the swoosh because it won't just happen once. 

The more shots you take, the more swooshes you'll get. You won't care about the missed shots.