It Ain’t Over Till It’s Over

What seemed like an inevitable upset was unrealized when Michael Phelps summoned up an unimaginable burst of speed to win the Beijing Olympic 100mm butterfly. Although we are not athletes competing for gold medals, this dramatic sports moment can be a powerful lesson for all of us. Phelp’s stunning victory, by one hundredth of a second, epitomizes coach Yogi Berra’s wisdom: “It ain’t over till its over”.

We all have goals and wishes – to be successful at what we do in business, in creativity, as a parent, as a partner. Our dreams are important to us. Invariably life brings us challenges and unforeseen obstacles that may discourage us. At its worst, adversity and disaster may seem so relentless that we are ready to relinquish the dream…we want to quit.

In challenging times our cherished goals may elude us. What would happen if we perceive the situation as changing, as full of possibility? What if we stay with it and refuse to give up hope. Our steadfast friend Thomas Edison said,”Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up”.

This is the attitude and the heart of a champion. Staying focused and seeing it through echoes the tradition of martial arts. Martial artists learn to move over, under, around and through obstacles. Our physical, contemplative and thoughtful daily practice strengthens us. It gives us the resolve to push through tough times and look ahead as we navigate the waters. There is no way to know what will transpire, but we will keep swimming the race until we reach the end of the pool. We may even win by one hundredth of a second.

Like Yogi said, it ain’t over, till it’s over.

Lawrence & Toni