How To Improve Your Jumpshot (And Other Life Lessons)

by JENNIFER RYAN

In an effort to gain inspiration for the article you��re now reading, I asked my husband what he��d like to see me write about this week. Just a moment of silence and he said, ��How do I improve my jumpshot?�� That wasn��t exactly the inspiration I was looking for, but I did ask for his opinion, and in an effort to take his answer seriously, I took on the challenge.

Just an FYI though, this article ISN��T about how to improve your jumpshot. (Or my husband��s. I found a great article on the web and forwarded it for his perusal.) It is, however, how my husband��s jumpshot is a lot like life.

You see, just as my husband asked the question about his jumpshot, what shot through my brain and what came out of my mouth were two different things (a wise choice, I can assure you!). In my brain I thought, ��C��mon, be serious. I need inspiration. And what the heck is a jumpshot?�� What came out of my mouth, with a smile was, ��Practice, practice, practice!�� He smiled back.

First, recent research shows that practice actually DOESN��T make perfect, and second, there is no perfect life. But (and this is especially true in the case of my husband��s jumpshot), if you��re going to change part of your life, and I mean really change it, you have to practice doing the thing you want to change, differently. There��s a four-step process we use with every single client in our practice, and that is: Ask, Believe, Work like Hell, and Receive. You may have heard this differently in your circle, but I��d like to share my altered version.

Ask
True, no matter how hard you ask, if you don��t have a gift of having a good jumpshot, or even playing basketball, you might become ok at the sport, but you��ll never be spectacular. Basketball may be your hobby (in the case of my husband), but it may not necessarily be your gift. Your hobby and your gift (or your life��s purpose) are two totally separate things.

But what I know for sure is this: If you don��t ask for what you want, you��ll never have it. Put out to the world what your intention is. What is it you intend to have in your life, in no uncertain terms? You want more intimacy in your marriage? You want to lose 50 pounds? You want to have more quality time with your children? You want to feel fulfilled and satisfied more days than not? Then ask for it. Tell the Universe what you want. And only ask once.

Believe
You can want to have a better jumpshot, but if you don��t believe it��s possible, you��ll never have it. See, changing your mindset is absolutely essential here. Believe that anything is possible, and your entire demeanor changes. Does this mean you��ll be an EXPERT at the jumpshot? Well, no, not if it��s not your God-given gift. I mean, that��s just silly.

But what isn��t silly is changing your mindset from one of scarcity to one of abundance, where you view the world through a lens that appears as if ��the sky is the limit.�� True, there really ARE limits to what you��ll be perfect at, but you��ll be more likely to view the positives of your life with a can-do spirit rather than a can��t one if you��re shooting from a genuinely purposeful place.

Work Like Hell
This isn��t an ��oh this is too hard�� kind of work. This is the fun, exhilarating, effortless, challenging kind of work. So when we say ��work like hell�� please know that getting what you want doesn��t have to be HARD, but it will be a challenging kind of excitement. Effortless work means you are doing something that comes natural to you and it is right in line with your unique gifts.

If you��re working hard, and it doesn��t feel right, and every step of the way you��re kicking and screaming and hating what you��re doing, you��re going in the wrong direction! ��Work like hell�� isn��t a BAD thing; it��s a good thing! It means you��re on the right path, doing exactly what you should be doing, and hitting the rough patches in stride.

Receive
It is an amazing thing, that what you put out to the world, the world gives back to you tenfold. Ask any leader or hugely successful business owner, and you��ll be hard pressed to find otherwise.

You are the only one who can open the doors to receive the fruit of your labor. If you have the negative mindset and belief that you won��t get what you want out of life, and that good things don��t happen to you, then you��ll get exactly what you ask for �C nothing. The true meaning of the phrase ��you reap what you sow�� really speaks to knowing exactly what you��re going to receive; it��s exactly what you give. When you put the effort out and have unwavering faith, ��the door shall be opened unto thee.��

Ask, Believe, Work like Hell, Receive
it��s not rocket-science; there��s some work involved here. My husband��s jumpshot, just like life, is not always painless. There are tiresome challenges, uninspiring tests, and hardships that make us feel like we��re in quicksand. But keeping a laser-focus on our goals keeps us grounded and forward-moving.