If you don’t read, then listen, and if you don’t listen, then watch.
I have always thought of tennis as a better metaphor for life than other sports mainly due to the scoring system. According to Andre Agassi, “It’s no accident, I think, that tennis uses the language of life. Advantage, service, fault, break, love, the basic elements of tennis are those of everyday existence, because every match is a life in miniature. Even the structure of tennis, the way the pieces fit inside one another like Russian nesting dolls, mimics the structure of our days. Points become games become sets become tournaments, and it’s all so tightly connected that any point can become the turning point. It reminds me of the way seconds become minutes become hours, and any hour can be our finest. Or darkest. It’s our choice.” Andre Agassi
The fractal style scoring system allows for a “time-out” after everything that happens. In combination with the lack of running timer allows for a seemingly infinite amount of pivots and strategy adjustments.
The end of a set allows for a do-over or reminder of what went well and what didn’t go well. The end of each point is a microcosm of the daily decisions we make which may or may not directly show results for the end of that match, set, or even game.
Some call them “chapters” and I have heard others use the word “seasons” to describe the different segments we have in our lives. In tennis we have points, games, and sets which can be compared to days, months, and years, or even any season (in business we say “quarter” – did we have a good or bad quarter).
If we are to picture a new year as a tennis match and we want to win our match, we should picture wining that last point on December 31 the last day of the year. What does it take to win that last game? Each day is a point to be won. Each month is a game of points to be accumulated. Every quarter or season offers the ability to reset, pivot, and make strategy adjustments.
Someone once told me “if you want a million dollars you must first picture that one millionth dollar being deposited in your account. Now work backwards and tell me how you did it.”
If you want to be a better tennis player at the end of the year than you are right now, what are you willing to do each day (point) to win the first game? Are you willing to choose a strategy and stick with it for a season and then adjust as necessary all with the end result in mind?
Every day is full of decisions just like every point is full of forehands and backhands. Each decision affects the next in potentially positive or negative ways. Every day you “win” gets you closer to your eventual goal. Every decision has a consequence. Each day has a result. Momentum is real and you are in control (mostly) of your own winning momentum.
Find what you want at the end of 2023 and choose a daily strategy to win the tennis match that is “this year.” Be willing to pivot after every month, reset at the end of each season, and make strategic adjustments to stay focused on winning 2023.
SjB Jan 1, 2023
