Did you happen to catch the US Gymnastics Championships held in Texas last week? If you need any inspiration to be better at what you do, and to turn a tough situation into a victory, there it was!

Brody Malone, the eventual champion, took a fall in the early round on parallel bars and went onto clinch his first national title from there.

The champions too take a stumble!

Even more dramatic, Shane Wiskus, trailing Brody within striking distance, came to his last act on the high bars. He has a unique variation that could earn him extra points he needs to beat Brody. 

What is your ‘wow’?

It all begins smoothly till the variation starts, he takes his eyes off the ball (the bar, in this instance) for a fraction of a second and he falls straight to the ground. That must hurt a lot in body and more in mind. He picks himself up, re-straps his wrists and back under the bar! You get 30 seconds to decide if you are going to try again, no time for nursing wounds or feeling sorry for yourself.

You will stand there for one of two reasons – One, you think you can do it. Two, you know you can do it!

He goes up a second time, does not simplify his routine, again barrels straight to the ground, ‘experts’ start giving their ‘mature’ advice that he should be quitting. Thankfully, he has not asked for it!

He goes up a third time, again no easy way out, again barrels straight to the ground. ‘Experts’ say how right they were in advising him to quit! Some even show motherly concern that he does not hurt himself. In the meantime, Shane has re-strapped and is standing under the bar!

Now you have really lost it as far as the world is concerned. That may include your family, your investors and your customers!

He goes up a fourth time, again no compromise and executes what he sees it in his mind and lands with feet firmly on the ground, no concessions asked or taken!

He was not surprised or elated that he made it. He knew he was going to make it and would have been under that bar for the fifth time if necessary. He had prepared for that moment (see the graphic above) in which he will either grab the bar or not. And because his mind saw clearly how he was going to grab it, all he had to do was re-strap his wrists and walk to the bar.

He planned on doing something to go from second to first position, it failed and dumped him into the ninth position. But he repossessed something far more important than a title!

The assurance that he can depend on himself. Very few have that!