The Lower You Are, The More “Ups” You Got

Rock bottom can feel heavy. But the good news is it’s the perfect launchpad.

You got “ups.”

Everybody got “ups.”

If you’re new, this is a series of lessons I learned from coaching boys’ high school basketball. You can check out that here.

I would be lying if I told you it didn’t hurt that the boys lost the basketball game, while only scoring four points. And it didn’t really hurt me as a coach—it hurt to see that it hurt them. I could tell by the look on their faces—it didn’t go the way they expected. Some stared at the floor. Others shaking their head with unbelief while looking at the shot clock.

Until something popped into my head.

It’s only up from here.

Life isn’t about being perfect—it’s about getting better. It’s about growth. And we had A LOT of room for growth.

When we got into the huddle after the game was over, I simply asked these questions:

“How did you enjoy your first game?”

“What can we do better next time?”

The first question allowed them to calm down.

The next gave them a mindset to get better. They all knew they could have shot the ball more. So, we said, “Let’s do that.”

Guess what happened next game?

I can tell you—we didn’t score four points.

We finished that game with a whole eighteen points.

Still lost.

But we got better.

Actually, every game we got better. The mission was always to learn something.

We came from a pretty low spot. Four points. But even if it would have been zero—we only had room for improvement.

We can sometimes put pressure on ourselves in the game to win, that we lose sight of getting better.

The goal isn’t to win so we can be better.

The goal is to get better—and you will win.

It doesn’t matter how low you are.

In fact, the lower you are, the more “Ups” you got.

I’m not sure what you’re seeking to accomplish in life.

But I just got two points for you.

One.

Don’t obsess over the goal of winning. It can turn you into a sore loser.

Obsess over getting better and growing.

Two.

Don’t despise small beginnings. You might feel like you’re at rock bottom.

Well, guess what—it’s only up from here.

The lower you are, the more “Ups” you got.

The risk is low—so just grow.

Even if you feel as though you aren’t low. Maybe you feel like your parents have given you everything.

There’s still up—trust me.

There are ways where your family has fallen short. Whether it was in focusing time and attention on family, marriage, emotional health, or financial literacy.

There are still “Ups” you can produce.

When you focus on simply getting better, I’m not saying it will be perfect—but you’ll be closer to it than you even realize.

So that thing that’s on your mind—the game you think you lost badly in.

I have one question for you.

What is one thing you could do to grow and get better in?

Let’s start today.

What’s the “Up” you’re going after today?

Don’t wait. Rise.