Champions of Process not Outcomes Obsessed

So, it happened. Last night, the Milwaukee Bucks beat the Phoenix Suns to win their first NBA title since 1971! They came back from a 0-2 deficit to win 4 in a row, clinching the best of 7 series and the championship.

I’ll always marvel at how individual players can deliver huge, standout performances given the caliber of their opponents and pure grit that’s required.

Last night, it was 26-year-old Giannis Antetokounmpo who set out to get it done! Giannis put on quite a show, delivering 50 of the team’s 105 points (making 17 of his 19 free throw attempts), grabbing 14 rebounds, and blocking 5 shots with jaw-dropping definitiveness and power.

Giannis’ rise in the NBA is as inspiring and almost as unfathomable as his numbers were last night. “Eight and a half years ago, before I came into the league, I didn’t know where my next meal would come from. My mom was selling stuff in the street.” It wasn’t long ago he was sleeping in the Bucks’ facility and sending money home to his family in Greece to help them survive. Now, he and two of his brothers are in the NBA together and each has played on championship teams (one as a Buck and one as a Laker). Giannis’ advice “Don’t let nobody tell you what you can’t be or what you cannot do,” sounds fair enough given his difficult journey and ultimate arrival to “champion.”

And then there are the guys that are amazing players in their own rights but couldn’t give enough to be called champions last night.

I watched as the Suns players entered their locker room after the game. While their eyes showed the undeniable pain of such immense disappointment, their highly held heads spoke of their resilience and their will to come back stronger.

While their ultimate desire to be NBA champions alluded them this year, they know well as professionals what we should all remember when things don’t go our way - stay invested in the process more than you are in the outcome. It allows you to take pride in your work and to pick up and move on.

Hall of Fame college coach, John Wooden, advises we should keep our focus on doing the very best that we are capable of rather than focus solely on winning the games that we play. In his experience, you’ll gain peace of mind through attaining self-satisfaction, the score will matter a little less, and you can hold your head high.

Perhaps surprisingly, detachment can be the very ticket to creating the outcome you’re seeking. Wooden believes his teams were successful because they focused their efforts on reaching their potential and not on winning. Be the best you can be, he says, and much of the time “the score will be to your liking.”

In basketball and life, it’s a strong strategy to consider. The championship may not be ours today, but it may be closer than we think.

Love,

Molly