I'll Take Those Odds Any Day

I hope you're having a blessed Christmas and
spending time loving those closest to you. My
daughter just reminded me a few minutes ago
the word holiday comes from holy day. And
every day is a holy day if love dwells in your
heart.

In my mailbox this morning was another story
from my friend Coach Tim Kauppinen about his
daughter who's playing 6th grade hoops this
year. I think it has a message for all of us.

'My daughter's 6th grade basketball season is in
full swing - her team is undefeated so far but she
has been unhappy with her play.

The reason? To me, it looks like she's simply
been afraid to shoot the ball.

So, the two of us had a little chat about it - because
I want her to enjoy bball as much as she has in the
past.

"Why aren't you taking shots in the games?" I
asked after a Saturday tournament.

"Because, if I miss, my team will be mad at me,"
she answered.

Now, I know this wasn't true but try to tell that
to your 11 year old... no way she was going to buy
what I had to say. No matter how many athletes
I had coached. So I had to try a different
approach.

"Tell me what can happen when you take a shot"

"Well, I could make the basket. Or my teammates
could get the rebound. Or I could get fouled and
get to shoot free throws. Or I could miss and turn
the ball over."

"So," I continued, "3 good things could happen if
you take a shot, and only one bad thing (which
really isn't all that bad anyway)... sounds like
pretty good odds to me. How about this - next
game, you take at least 5 shots when you are
open and see what happens."

"And," I continued, " What will happen if you
don't take any shots?"

"Nothing."

She didn't promise me anything at the end of our
little talk but I guess she took it to heart.

Next game, she took a couple of early shots. She
missed the first one, but the center from her team
rebounded and put in an easy bunny shot. Then
she made the next three shots she took.

And guess what?

She started having fun again. She started getting
more steals and rebounds herself. She made some
great passes which turned into assists when her
teammates scored. She looked faster and more
explosive the whole time she was on the court -
and she was kept out there a lot because she was
hustling her buht off. All because she started
taking shots.

Of course, she only took 4 since I told her to take
at least 5... hey, she doesn't want to let her Dad
tell her what to do, does she?

After the game I congratulated her (they won
big) and reminded her of a very important fact.

"You'll miss every shot you never take."

Same goes for you. What "shots" have you taken
lately.

Don't let fear of failure paralyze you. The only
way to truly fail is to do nothing.

And heck, you can make something positive
out of most the shots you take, and in so doing
you'll improve your health, your life, and your
wealth like never before.'

Those are words anybody can live by. Thank
you Tim.

Make Every Shot Count,

Dean - The Dean of Shooting Hoops

P.S. If you want to to run like a cheetah, be quick
as a cat, and explode out of your stance like a
pouncing lion, Coach Tim is your man. I've told
you about his uphill sprinting program many
times, but you can check out all his speed secrets
today at:

http://www.makesyoufast.com/

Shalom on Earth