I was watching my son play in a summer basketball tournament with the guys on his high school basketball team. They played very well. As I was watching the game a few plays in each game stood out to me. Two of the plays that made the most impression on me were both times when there was a loose ball on the floor. In basketball as in life the one who is successful is often times the one who has the courage to jump when others stand and watch.



On one of these particular plays one of the guys on our team immediately sprawled himself on the floor as soon as he saw that his quick actions might reward him with the prize of the ball. As things turned out, he was right. Because of his quick reactions and decisiveness he gained control of the ball for his team. The result was not quite as good the next time the ball fell loose to the floor. This time one of our guys had an opportunity to also gain control of the ball, but unlike the first boy he hesitated for just a bit too long. His hesitation allowed a young man from the other team to gain control of the ball for his team.

So why were the results different from the first to the second occasion? The difference was that the first boy who won for our team had no hesitation. He knew what the goal was and he exploded after it without any thought or concern for his body. The second boy seemed to be mulling things over in his head as to whether or not he should or shouldn't, might he get hurt if he flung himself too recklessly after the prize, and what if he went through all that effort and found that he came up empty handed.

These thoughts probably never passed the mind of either one of the boys. At the same time their response to the possibility of getting the ball was markedly different. The one was quickly aggressive and knew what he wanted while the other pondered his situation a bit too long and lost out.

There are situations in life where it's very important to think over the options for a long time. There are also situations in life where risking something and seizing the moment are the absolute best choice. It seems that being spontaneous and passionate about our decisions often times turns out for the best. What are some of the exciting passionate decisions that you've made lately that have been in your best interest even though they may not have agreed with your rational side? If your answer to this is, I can't remember the last time that I did that, maybe it's time to let loose.

Action can be more fun and more productive than over thinking,

Fred Nicklaus