Yesterday my oldest had the game of his life on the basketball court. Basketball isn’t his thing. He’s a baseball kid who plays a little basketball in the winter. He’s athletic and smart, so he’s in the mix for basketball, but he isn’t a top kid.
Over the past few games, he’s found an area of the game that he’s good at and can take on as his own, rebounding and tough defense. He’s turned into the kid you want on your team. He hustles and doesn’t give up any easy baskets. He’s in the right place at the right time.
But when he shoots even the parents on the sideline cover their eyes and look away. He shoots a basketball like he’s throwing a baseball, CLANG!
I’ve been working with him a little, but still CLANG! BANG! The ball bounces off the hoop at 90 miles an hour. There isn’t any finesse to his game.
But today that all changed and it can all change for you too.
Early in the first quarter, he found himself open under the basket. He caught a great pass and turned and scored two points!! In the second quarter, it happened again!! His personal best score for the year was 3 points in a game. He scored 10 points this game including the game-winning shot with two seconds on the clock.
Two things I want you to see. One is that my son found an area where he was confident, and then used that as a beachhead. He felt good in that spot for a few games, and he slowly advanced his game from there. He didn’t suddenly get better at shooting. What he got was more CONFIDENT in his own ability to get it done. His skills didn’t change. The way he viewed his skills changed. His entire reality shifted today on the basketball court. Yesterday he saw himself as a mediocre player. Today he saw himself as the best player on the court. Both views were 100% accurate. He created the reality around himself. I watched it happen.
It happens all the time.
I see people walk into a test and say “oh jeez, I’m terrible at pharm. Here we go again.” And I think holy crap, of course, you’re terrible at pharm. You keep telling yourself that you suck. You know how easy it is to make that your reality. It’s simple. Don’t’ put in any work. Fail, and then you can say how right you were. Congratulations your ego is intact.
T-E-R-I-B-L-E
Oh and the second thing. What did my kid do when he got home from that game. He picked up a ball and practiced his shooting. He NEVER practices basketball. He thinks he’s not that good and he wants to keep it that way (don’t judge him, we all do this to save our egos). Today his image shifted, and he saw himself as worth it. He saw that he could be a good player. Funny what a little success does and how quickly reality changes.
So here’s what you do. You practice a little. You find something you can be good at on your exams. You build exam confidence in one small area and get better and better. Allow me to suggest you begin with key terms and…
You use The Final Step to help you with that.
