Thursday, June 24, 2010

Landon Donovan, two anonymous tennis players, and the lessons of persistence

Persistence.

It is the single most powerful quality to have if you want to achieve a goal or dream. It was never displayed more overtly than yesterday.

Yesterday was an epic day in sports. Whether you follow soccer and tennis (most Americans have no more than a passing interest in either) or you don't, you have heard the news from South Africa and London.

In South Africa, the USA Soccer team, robbed of victory in the previous match by a referee's poor decision, faced a must-win situation to advance to the "knockout" round of the World Cup. This is a big deal. So big that hundreds of millions of people worldwide watch every game. The Super Bowl wishes it got this much attention.

They dominated play in Wednesday's match with Algeria but could not score. The team hit goal posts, missed easy scoring chances, and yes, had another goal disallowed by a referee's poor decision. As the end of the scoreless game neared it seemed as though the team could not overcome the bad calls and mistakes. It was not meant to be. As they entered extra time (the four minutes added on at the end of the game) they were in full attack mode, needing to score, desperate, 4 minutes from failure after 4 years of preparation.

Then magic happened. A key save by the U.S. goaltender, an aggressive pass to leader Landon Donovan, a flurry of passes and a bouncing ball in front of Algeria's net, and then Donovan ran on to the ball and calmly kicked it in. "It was like time stopped for a moment", Donovan said afterward.

The goal was an epic moment in USA sports. A memory for everyone who watched. A moment of national pride that sports can bring to a country. Denied a goal in a match they dominated until the 91st minute, the USA team worked even harder, pushed the pace, became more agressive and intense until they broke through with the goal. Memorable. Inspired.

A couple continents north of South Africa, two guys no one ever heard of played a lot of tennis yesterday. A LOT of tennis. 10 hours worth. And it's still not over. American John Isner and Frenchman Nicholas Mahut are still playing. The match began Tuesday, played all day Wednesday and continues today. The fifth set is tied 59 games to 59 games. For those of you who don't follow tennis, 59 total games is considered a very long match. They've played 118 games in the last set alone and they're still not done.

This is the longest match ever played. No one would have watched this match if it were not a record setter for length. Neither of these guys is famous. Neither of them will win the tournament. And yet, neither of them will quit. How easy would it be to just quit and let the other guy win. They have gained instant fame with appearances on the Today Show and other media outlets. Why not just stop now? But Isner and Mahut battle on. One will eventually win and one will lose but they have made a mark in tennis history.

My clients are regularly confronted with the fear of not reaching their goal. A few pounds of weight gain one week, a day where a 2 mile run feels like a marathon, and the feeling that someone else in boot camp is stronger, leaner, and fitter than they are.

At those moments of doubt (we're not going to advance to the knockout round or I'll never win this marathon match) is when you need to dig the deepest.

Landon Donovan and the US squad showed us that it sometimes takes effort in every moment to reach your dream. Isner and Mahut showed us that sometimes it takes a effort behind what you could have imagined to achieve your goal.

The next time you are faced with a workout where you just don't have it and don't think you will finish it. Take a moment and realize that all of the effort you put in will pay off big one day. And when it does, go out and set another goal.

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