Go 1-0 Today
In many aspects of life, we get caught up in tomorrow. We stress, we worry, we plan, but we get lost in the midst of it all. We are so focused on the future that we forget to be present. We look at how big the entire undertaking is instead of really narrowing in on the simple tasks of the day.
I coach teenagers in high school hockey, and if you have spent any time with teenagers you know that they need some help in the mental strength department. They can be difficult to keep on task, and they need things to be easily digestible so they aren't overwhelmed. That is why I adopted the mantra I nipped from Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez, “Just go 1-0 today.” It is such a basic concept that embodies the simplicity of sports, and it can be used to help us understand the simplicity of our lives. Things don’t always have to be complex, and we certainly don’t always have to obsess over tomorrow.
At the beginning of every season my team sets our goals for the year. Some years it is to win a state championship. Other years it is to win our specific region. We have an understanding of what our capabilities are, and we aim to push them past our limit. Those goals are great to set, but they can’t be achieved overnight, and the season is a long, long road with lots of challenges to overcome. We don’t have to tackle all of that at once though. Each game, each period, each shift, each race for a puck, each board battle, is an opportunity to go 1-0. If you go 1-0 enough, you’ll probably reach your goals.
If you wanted to break this down another way, the mantra is essentially reminding us to break things down into smaller goals and tasks that you can accomplish TODAY. Keep the ball rolling, continue to gain momentum, and build upon the success of yesterday. The incremental progress is sustainable, achievable, and reliable. When you find yourself at the last game of the season, or the hardest part of your project, you only have to go 1-0 one more time, and you’ve probably gotten pretty good at that.
So whatever your goals or tasks are. Keep your head up and just go 1-0 today.
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