MESSAGE #786 OOPS!!

“Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records.”
-author unknown

I had a very important talk yesterday.

I forgot my notes.

Yesterday was Day 1 of the USTA Northeast X-Sectional Training Camp at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. There were sixteen of the top 10 and under players from the Middle States, Eastern and New England sections of the USTA.

I was one of the coaches for the singles and doubles play. At the end of the day, I gave a talk to the players, parents and coaches, but I had a little bit of a challenge.

As I was being introduced, I was getting organized and looking for my notes, and then I heard, “…and here’s Ed Tseng.”

I had to go on; no time to find my notes.

So I had to make a decision.

Was I going to freeze up, or trust my instincts and do what I’ve done over thirty times in the past year?

I went with my instincts.

I think it went well. Very well.

Sometimes things don’t go as planned. You can’t control that. You can only control your reaction. Sometimes you have to improvise.

If I relied on my notes during my talks, I probably would have been in big trouble. But I try to be more mindful and speak from the heart. That is why I was able to confidently go on and give my talk.

What do you do? What potential challenges might you face?

But more importantly…

How will you react?

Thanks for reading.