(a 4 minute read)
I know what you are thinking. Don’t worry, this is not propaganda for everyone to go and shoot their shot in the direct messages of social media. But you do miss 100% of the shots you don’t take… (so take that how you will). But shooting your shot isn’t limited to just sliding in the DMs. While the term you can say originated there, we can take it a step further and see where else it applies.
Kobe Bryant (RIP) once said if you are shooting poorly one game and decide to stop shooting, you lost confidence in yourself. And you don’t ever want to lose confidence in yourself. Take that statement with you everywhere, along with the almond milk.
Where We See It
Shooting your shot applies to any situation where you are uncertain of what the outcome will be. You are in a predicament where you can either shoot (control the situation to the best of your ability), pass (give someone else the responsibility and look weak in comparison), or throw the ball out of bounds and look hopelessly around you (gaining nothing). You want to give yourself the best chance of succeeding, so why not control what you can control?
Take a classic work scenario you may have gone through: asking for a raise. You’ve been working at a company for a few years, you know the ins and outs of your position, and you work extremely hard at what you do (sometimes). A raise may be valid, but more times than not, without you going for the shot (asking management for a raise), the company will continue to pay you your current wage without any foreseeable movement.
There is doubt in how management will respond to you. They may reply with “now isn’t the best time,” “reviews are next month, maybe we can talk then?” or just a flat out “not happening”. At least you made the inquiry. You went in with confidence and conviction and controlled what you could control. You shot your shot and now you live with the consequences. One shot doesn’t define you, so there’s no need to pass up on the opportunity.
What If I’m Off My Game?
So you are off your regular confident game and the percentages aren’t looking the best right now. Call it a rough patch or maybe you are not as in sync as you are accustomed to. Should you skip the opportunity because of uncertainty or do you shoot your shot? The answer is to shoot and to never stop shooting (be careful though, don’t go overboard please). Why? Cause regretting that you missed out on an opportunity because you were scared or completely unsure isn’t worth the trouble in the long run.
I’m not telling you to go slide in the DMs of everyone you like or to go try and finish everything on your bucket list right now. But there are too many opportunities out there that we all miss out on because we are afraid that we might seem beg or fail. If you miss the shot, so what? You gain experience and you learn a lesson. You apply that experience from what you have learned and now your shot starts to come together. And you move on from there. Simple.
No one will remember your percentages when it’s all over (well some of us might). Don’t let that hold you back from letting that ball fly and shooting your shot in whichever situation it may be. If the shot isn’t falling, adjust how you shoot, try out a different approach. Just make sure you aren’t overshooting, because that’s never a good thing. You don’t need to overdo it, you don’t have to be THAT person.
Keep Shooting
You’ll have a couple off days in the process. Your friends might make fun of you. You may start to become impatient and regret may settle in, but you won’t improve if you just put the ball down and quit. How are you supposed to become the greatest shooter of all time when you don’t even shoot?
The Ls (standard abbreviation for a loss) will come. The bricks (when you shoot a shot and miss dreadfully) will be plentiful. But the ball will come back, and that’s more time to work on your shot. Keep shooting, cause eventually you may get hot and become unguardable in all parts of your life. After that, you can tell people they can’t guard you, and that’s what we strive for every day. You want to say this exact statement wherever you go; you can’t guard me.
Thanks for reading, share with a friend, and answer the question below!
How many times do you shoot your shot a day?
#ShootYourShot
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