Last night the Miami Heat beat the Oklahoma City Thunder to take a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals. The Heat are “one more game” away from winning the championship that LeBron James so desires. I am sure the Thunder want more than just “one more game“, but that will only happen if they win tomorrow night.
Let’s Play “One More Game” Dad?
Before yesterday’s game I was playing “P-I-G” with my son, Jackson (P-I-G is a variation of the H-O-R-S-E basketball game). We were playing a series of 3, so the first person to win 2 games was the champion. Well I beat him 2 games to 1 game, but something interesting, yet predictable, happened next. We had already agreed to play a series of 3, but despite that he asked me to play “one more game.”
Agree To Play “One More Game”…
Of course, I agreed, and beat him again. What do you think he said after that game? Yep, “one more game”, so we played again. This went on for one or two more games, with each game being tougher and closer, before he finally beat me. Once he beat me you can guess what happened. He was satisfied in beating me the last game so we called it a day. As I thought about it, I noticed a few things that happened in our “one more game” agreement. I think we should have a similar mentality when it comes to accomplishing things in our life. Here are 5 Things That Happen When You Have A “One More Game” Mentality.
- You Don’t Quit. Jackson was determined to win, and he was not quitting until he did. I have a feeling that if he didn’t win we may still be playing now. No matter the result, you continue working, continue practicing until your determined outcome comes about. But that doesn’t happen without the following 4 points…
- Your Desire Increases. Jackson wanted to win when we started, but as he lost a few games to me that desire to win increased. Each loss he took, the more he wanted to win. The result only mattered in the fact that it increased his hunger, his desire, to beat me in the end.
- You Focus More. There was a contrast in us as the games progressed. I began to lose focus and think about what we had to do next. However, Jackson began to focus more intently. He took his time on shots, he began to hold his follow-thru, and he began to make more shots.
- You Correct Mistakes. When we played the first few games Jackson tried shots well out of his range. As he lost a few games and his desire to win and focus increased he began to shoot better shots. He realized that if he wanted to win he had to shoot shots he had the best chance of making. He began to shoot from “his spot”, and he began to make more of them.
- You Eventually Win! Had Jackson quit he would have ended the day losing. But he didn’t quit. He kept trying until he beat me, and I am sure it felt good. That is the same for us in our lives. Our marriages, our careers, our health, or our relationships. As long as we keep going, and make a few adjustments when success doesn’t come, then we will eventually win!
That is what I want for all my readers. I want us all to win. Some will win sooner than others, but all of us will experience some losing situations. I encourage you to request “one more game”, until you accomplish what you set out to.
Question: When have you used the concept of “one more game” to accomplish something? Please share in the comment section below.
