How often have you watched a sporting event, a political race, any other kind of competitive event, and felt that some of the participants were out of their league, lacking in skill, over matched? And then, something happened, and those same people persisted, and eventually wore down their opponent, and went on to win. And even if they didn't win, they won. They gained respect - both self respect and respect from others - for doing the best they could do - and not quitting. Watching others "Stay In Play" is a real source of inspiration.

"Stay In Play" tells us just how important it is to press on, to take the next step, to develop the best possible solution, to make the next sales call, to play the next down, to serve the next serve, to stay in the game.

"Stay In Play" assumes that the game being played is the "right" one. Otherwise, it's a little like a quote from Tom Friedman - "If all you are doing is digging a bigger hole to get out of, stop digging!" In sports that's pretty obvious. In areas of life other than sports the games are a lot less likely to be seen the same way by all the players.

And that's where goals come in - both shared goals and personal goals.

Shared goals are defined as those made between groups that affect and require the participation of all the members. The group could be as few as two people, it could be as large as a corporation, church congregation, non - profit staff. Shared goals define the game, define what represents success, and define how individual effort aligns to achieve the shared goals. They keep groups from just digging a deeper bigger hole to have to climb out of. Without shared goals part of a team may be playing the organizational equivalent of soccer, while the rest of the team plays the equivalent of baseball. And the result is chaotic.

In tough times shared goals help enterprises of all sizes and shapes keep focus, keep group identity and optimize results.

Personal goals are even more important in tough times than in good times. In todays environment, where the talk and actions are of loss - loss of jobs, loss of wealth, loss of property, shared goals are important to our external, our organizational selves, but personal goals are critical to keeping our heads together. In good times it's easy to move with the flow, prosper and let shared goals be the measure of individual worth. In tough times, the flow may slow, or stop, or take a different direction. That job that had been so secure for the last ten years suddenly looks not so secure. The result often is fear, frustration and lack of commitment. Personal goals - the goals that identify what is most important to us - keep us on track even when the game may be changing, and we're not sure what that means. If the enterprise that has been the source of our identity should falter or fail, our personal goals keep us in play.

Take the time to ask yourself one question: What are the five most important things in my life that I can influence right now? Make your answers into personal goals. Then, like the player who may look overmatched and beaten, persist in achieving those five things. The chances are great that you will succeed. But even if that isn't the case, to have focused and striven to meet them will result in success when you have picked yourself up, dusted yourself off, and started over again.

Start today - tell yourself "Stay In Play" and keep telling yourself. Make it a habit of thought, and it will become a habit of success.