He laid on the floor distraught. He had to be helped up by his teammates.
Ahmed Hill, a senior guard on the Virginia Tech basketball team, missed a wide open shot a foot away from the basket that likely would have sent their NCAA tournament game into overtime.
The play was set up perfectly. If you watch the video, click here, you’ll see Hill set up at the start of the play at the free throw line. He’s in the dark uniform and is number 13. Everything went as it had been designed. The pass was perfect. Hill missed.
As a big fan of March Madness, the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, I love it when players make shots at the buzzer to win a game. I don’t like to see games won or lost on a player’s failure. Having been in that position I can feel their pain.
Over the last several years when I’ve watched games lost on a single player’s missed effort my mind goes directly to a quote from our 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt:
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man, or woman, who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end high achievement, and at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
Ahmed Hill failed while daring greatly. He was not a cold and timid soul. I’m sure if you had the opportunity to ask him he would tell you he wanted to take that shot. He wanted to be the person to fail or succeed in that situation.
Courage is being willing to put yourself in the position to either succeed or fail. Fear is being a cold and timid soul who knows neither success nor failure.
What might courage look like for you today?
- Making that call to the upset client that you should have done on Friday?
- Taking responsibility for that mistake you made?
- Apologizing to your spouse or your kids or maybe someone at work?
- Creating a plan for the transfer of your business to your children?
- Starting your own business?
- Going back to school?
- Starting that exercise program?
Will you be courageous today, taking action that you’ve been putting off for far too long? Or, will you let fear win and continue to live as a cold and timid soul?
Have a STRONG and COURAGEOUS day!
Do you need a speaker for an upcoming event? I’d love to be that guy. You can reach me at dave@cultivatecourage.com or 952-200-7499.
You can now buy the book “Cultivate Courage” on Amazon! Simply click here!
