What You Can Learn From The Boston Celtics

OK, I’ll admit, I am a fair weather basketball fan. I usually skip watching games, during the regular season, and wait for the real action….the finals. Mind you, I did predict during the pre-season, the finals would come down to the Celtics vs. the Lakers. So, far so good. I also predicted the Celtics would win it all this year….again, so far, so good.

However, when I got home to watch tonight’s game, during the first quarter, I was a little worried about the Celtics winning tonight’s game. In fact, after leading by 21 points in the first quarter, and as much as 24 points in the second half, it looked liked Kobe & company would lay the smackdown on the Celtics. Yet, after halftime, Celtics coach, Doc Rivers, made a very important point to his team in the huddle. He told them to not worry about how far behind they were, and not worry about trying to force it, in order to catch up. Rivers told his team to go out and play one shot at a time.

Obviously, Rivers spoke, and the Celtics listened, to finally take the lead with about 5 minutes to go in the fourth, and pull off the greatest come-from-behind upset in NBA history. Not only did they do it one basket at a time, but they did it with razor sharp focus, and the confidence that it could be done. Thus going on to win 97-91, and lead the series 3 games to 1. By the way, it is documented that no team that has been down 3-1, has come back to win the NBA championship.

Well, you are no different than the Celtics. Even though you may encounter some set backs in your fitness program, you may miss some training days (for whatever reason – no one’s judging you), you may have a few not-so-healthy meals here and there, or simply not put forth 100% effort and intensity all of the time. However, you do not have to let those minor setbacks bring an end to your program.

Whenever you may encounter a setback in your training or eating program, do not focus on what went wrong. You cannot change what has already been done. However, you can plan to make your training and eating habits, today, much better than they were the day before. Noticed, I did not say “tomorrow.” Screw tomorrow! “Tomorrow” leaves too much room for error, excuses, and unrealistic goals. Train intensely, eat in support of your training, and live in the moment.

Most importantly, let go of the guilt of those past setbacks, and envision what you want to accomplish right now. Once you get a clear picture of what you want, take steps right then to get what you want. Find your resources or reserves, and tap into them immediately.

Don’t wait! If you wait to gain the home court advantage, you just might find yourself falling behind in the series. In other words, you can’t always have it the easy way. Sometimes, you find out your true potential, and success in the face of adversity. Now that is the mark of a true champion. Take charge, and win…..today!