Tweet

Tennis...a lesson in life

Guest post by: Barry Roberts

Article Overview: The title says it all! In tennis and in life we learn and grow from our experiences and the examples and metaphors in this article are sure to be helpful to tennis players and non-tennis players alike.

Tennis...a lesson in life

I play tennis about four times a week. One of the guys I play with, always starts the day by tossing the ball to make his serve and announcing, “Enjoy, gentlemen!” I usually reply with, “Thanks Jon. I’m rooting for you to come in second.” (Unless, of course, Jon is my doubles partner.) Our tennis pro once pointed out that, “Someone is happy with every shot.”

I hear these things said quite regularly and lately it has occurred to me that these concepts and philosophies are as true in life, just as they are in tennis. Take for example, “Enjoy, gentlemen!” Isn’t this something we all strive for, every day, in all we do? When we’re at play, the very concept of play is all about enjoyment and yet most of our play, tennis, basketball, Monopoly, card games and Pin the Tail on the Donkey, is all competitive. We play, because we enjoy the structure of the game and the competitive nature of the challenge and we want to win. In wanting to win we naturally are hoping that everyone else come in second.

On the tennis courts, if I hit a winning shot, I’m real happy about that! On the other hand, if I happen to hit an unforced error (or even a forced error) my opponent is very happy. Someone is happy with every shot. How true this is in every game or sport and how true in business as well.

Get the order…Happy! Lose the order to your competition and your competition is happy. You start the day with that “Enjoy, gentlemen!” attitude and have your ups and downs throughout the day based on how good your “shots” are and how often the competition misses.

In tennis, when I miss a shot, I’m eager to get the ball back in play so I can redeem myself…hit a winner. I take a few seconds to consider just what I did wrong and what I need to do to win the next point. I’ll consider my opponents strengths and weaker areas. Like a laser, I am focused on that ball and will do whatever it takes, often even taking major risks, to avoid his strengths and hit my best shot to his weak side or better still, “hit it where he ain’t”.

Do we do that in life? After a bad day with a friend, loved one or family member, do we blame them or consider what we did wrong? Do we focus on making things right, right away, or do we hold a grudge? Buddy Hackett once said, “I never hold a grudge, because while I’m busy holding a grudge, the other guy is out dancing.” Buddy Hackett was not only hysterically funny; he was rather wise as well. Thanks for that one Buddy.

In business, when we lose the sale, do we rethink our strategies or consider what the competition did that won him or her that order? How often do we (often secretly) accuse the prospect or customer of being a jerk for not seeing the benefits of going with us? Do we brush ourselves off and jump right back in or do we take some time to feel miserable and blame everyone else? Do we consider our mistakes, learn from them, take some major risks and come back to make our best shot? Tom Peters taught me that mistakes and failures are OK, if and when we learn from those failures. In fact, he says that, companies need to fail faster. He points out that failure is what breeds success.

So, “Enjoy, gentlemen and ladies” and remember, “Someone is happy with every shot.” Take a risk, make your shots, be happy and enjoy the challenge.

Barry Roberts is a motivational humorist helping business become more profitable by reducing stress and developing innovative strategies. His keynotes and workshop seminars earn the highest industry ratings. Barry’s book “Practice Safe Stress” is rather successful and is available internationally online.

Related Articles
  Who Is Your Proud Family?
  Three Marketing Lessons from Realtors
  Getting Rich Is An Exact Science
  The Gravity of Failure
  Entrepreneur – How Not To Have A Bad Employee?
  What Does Your Gut Say?
  Leaders can’t afford to make mistakes
  The Right To Be Rich
  You can choose the kind of relationship
  How A Game Of Rugby League Can Teach You To Make Your Online Business A Success.
  Selling swimming pools is the same as selling what you sell
  Teaching Old Skiers New Tricks
  The Highest Leverage Investment in a Business is...
  Right and Wrong of PR Pitches
  Build Your Confidence-Make More Sales
  Are Leaders Born Or Are They Made?
  Lessons from Sobibor
  LESSONS FROM THE ROYAL WEDDING
  Manage Fear of Failure
  Losing The Deal - Yeah, It Does Happen To All Sales Professionals too!

Article Tags: challenges, experiences, lessons learned, risks



Related Forum Posts
Re: The secret to happiness - Hey GT You have a great attitude. I was a 4 pack a day smoker and I stopped about 8 years ago. Nobody thought it possible that Barry Sarner could ever stop smoking. It turned out to be the biggest lesson I ever learned in MY LIFE. The lesson: How could you fail at anything if you just refuse to give up? I slipped and slided for 8 months but even when I messed up, and I did alot, I never threw myself under the bus. I just started all over again the next day. I CHOSE to start again the next day . . . I CHOSE You must work on it every day of your life. Just know that you have the choice to start from scratch the next day. . . . . AND THAT IS OK TO DO. NEVER NEVER NEVER GIVE UP
Re: The best course for starting an online business - Hi Keven, I would be more than happy to share it, but I'm really confused what to share, where to start. OK, here is the greatest lesson I learned from that course. It is realted with the starting an internet business. - If you want to start your online buisness, the first thing you should do is to find you [u:1vh6vyeb]own [/u:1vh6vyeb]niche (we have talked about this in forum on another threads). What most people trying to do is to find the hottest product on the net and try to market it to make money online. It is a WRONG concept. Or most newbies join money making programs and try to teach others how to make money too. And this makes the problem (because they don't even know how to make money themselves). It is a lesson which taught a lot in my online marketing business. This first lesson is simple, but great. Orxan
Re: Choose the people who surround you wisely! - One of the greater challenges for leadership and growth of a company hiring those the complete your circle of needs I have often used the following example You can bowl gutter balls with your beer drinking buddies on Wednesday nights or you can learn to bowl strikes with the serous bowlers With all the peer pressure on today's youth, it is also a great lesson for them to learn, hang with average or below and your grades will be average or below. Hang with the A Group and enjoy more of what life really has to offer us
Re: Just a simple comparison & contrast of our truths in crisis. - Hi, that's a great point. I used to think my life wasn't that exciting or good and these days billionaires are killing themselves because of the market crash thinking a million is not enough! Before you start thinking about your life, look around you. Think how many people would love to have the life your living. A lot of us here may not be millionaires or billionaires, but at least we are fortunate enough to live under a roof and feed ourselves each day, and being able to afford internet. If you thought it was bad here with the economy, think of other 3rd world countries. Enjoy the life your giving, because in the next life you might not be so lucky!
Re: Reliable Web Hosting Providers - Ha ha.. there's a lesson - check your own links. I forgot my site is a .ca rather than a .com. I made the edit.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Soda Vending Machine = Energy Hog

Working Across Borders

Download a template or see a lawyer?

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.