What Do You Want…To Happen Next?

We live in a replay society. It seems like half of the time dedicated to any sporting event is spend analyzing, replaying, and debating what just happened. If there’s a questionable call, it’s reviewed. It becomes the focus of the game and an excuse for outcomes.

In life, if we make a mistake, we often blame others or shame ourselves. If we are “wronged,” we hold grudges. If we don’t like a situation, we lament and make excuses. We replay, judge, and react.

While I am a believer that there are “lessons” in almost everything that happens, I will have you consider that the time and energy that is spent blaming and shaming should be directed into a much better question. What do you want to happen next?

At the beginning of any game, a player or team goes into that game with a “gameplan.” This is what they “want” to happen. This is their vision and strategy for a specific outcome. They are committed to it. They are energized and focused on the execution of that strategy. Then, something happens. Maybe it’s a bad call. Maybe it’s an injured player. Maybe it’s an unforeseen variable that impacts the game. Whatever it is, the reality is that things have changed.

At this point there are two options. First, you can lament. You can blame others. You can find fault. You can complain, protest, or deny the reality of the situation. We’ve all seen this in sports, where a “bad call” or unexpected play takes a team from focused to frantic. They allow their energy to be on replaying the past and succumb to the chaos of the misalignment between what they wanted to happen and what actually happened.

The other option is to ask one simple question…What do you want to happen next? You accept the reality of what happened and put your focus on what’s next. There is no wasted energy on blame or shame. There is only acceptance and course correction.

Games, like life, are a constant evolution of probabilities turning into realities, which create new probabilities. When we get stuck in a replay of past probabilities without accepting current realities, we are looking backwards instead of forward. We are asking “why” questions instead of “now what” questions.

As we begin the new year, “What do you want?” is a significant question. Many of us are looking at our personal and professional lives and, if the desire is there, declaring what we want to accomplish in 2017.

Are you clear on what you want? Are you committed to what you want? If so, I commend you. This is the first step to achievement.

The reality is that there will be “bad calls” and unexpected plays that will be a part of that journey from where you are to where you want to be. How will you deal with those events? Will you play the blame and shame game and focus on what “should be” or will you accept “what is” and ask yourself, “What do I want to happen next?” The sooner you can course correct and focus your time and energy on what’s in front of you, the faster you will get there