In PIVOTAL, I discuss the benefits of focusing on “now” rather than “next.
A great story from Bill Belichick, former New England Patriots Head Coach, illustrates this.
In 2004, the team broke all records for the longest winning streak in the National Football League history: 21 games in a row.
This was an amazing accomplishment, especially in today’s environment of free agents. During a press conference after the 20th consecutive win, Belichick was asked to comment about their string of victories.
He replied, “We did not have a 20-game winning streak. We had 20 one-game winning streaks.”
His philosophy was to play each game the best they could.
They did not worry about the past; although they could learn from it, they couldn’t change what had already happened.
And they never looked to the future. Worrying about where you are going means you take your sights off the ball.
If the players do their best on each play of each game, that is all they can do.
Of course, each play has to be aligned with the strategy for the game. But you can only run one play at a time,
And you can only live one day at a time.
Therefore, focus on the now with an eye to the future.
Play every day (and each game) the best you can without worrying if you’ll hit your goals (or win the Super Bowl).