Some days are smooth. Everything goes as expected and you are able to do impactful things without breaking a sweat. The birds are singing and the sun is shining. You whistle your way through the world.
Some days are rough. Nothing goes per plan. Even the coffee maker and the traffic lights turn into formidable opponents. The bird droppings find your windscreen. You are rushed, upset, worried and battered.
We are usually capable of behaving on our good days. But what matters more is how we behave on our bad days. Extraordinary people push through the grind and maintain the momentum on their bad days. They remember to smile and not take themselves too seriously, especially on the bad days. The effort put in during rough patches has a much higher return though progress may not be visible while going through the struggle.
Perfection is impossible. In the 1,526 singles matches I played in my career, I won almost 80% of those matches. Now, I have a question for you. what percentage of the points do you think I won in those matches? Only 54%.
In other words, even top-ranked tennis players win barely more than half of the points they play.
When you lose every second point on average, you learn not to dwell on every shot. You teach yourself to think: Okay, I double-faulted… it’s only a point. Okay, I came to the net and I got passed again; it’s only a point. Even a great shot, an overhead backhand smash that ends up on ESPN’s Top Ten Plays – that, too, is just a point.
Here’s why I am telling you this. When you’re playing a point, it is the most important thing in the world. But when it’s behind you, it’s behind you. This mindset is really crucial, because it frees you to fully commit to the next point, and the next one after that, with intensity, clarity, and focus.
The truth is, whatever game you play in life, sometimes you’re going to lose. A point, a match, a season, a job – it’s a roller coaster, with many ups and downs. And it’s natural, when you’re down, to doubt yourself. To feel sorry for yourself. But negative energy is wasted energy.
You want to become a master at overcoming hard moments. That to me is the sign of a champion. The best in the world are not the best because they win every point. It’s because they they lose again and again and have learned how to deal with it. You accept it. Cry it out if you need to… then force a smile.
You move on.
Roger Federer1
Next time when you are struggling with a bad day, accept it and remind yourself, “it’s just a point” and it will be followed by another opportunity. Try not to lose ground on bad days and your good days will take you far. Be persistent, be patient, especially on the bad days.
