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  • June 20, 2009

    Blog: Eyes on the prize

    By Edward T. Creagan, M.D.

4 comments posted

Watching the professional hockey and basketball playoffs made me think about what it takes to win the elusive championship ring.
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The season for these athletes began about ten months ago and included more than 100 games complicated by travel schedules and time zone problems.

What is the single difference between the team that hoists the championship trophy and all the other who aspire to it? Obviously, this issue is debated by all sorts of "experts," but I would offer that the key factor is meticulous attention to detail.

The teams that win leave nothing to chance. They shift the odds in their favor by the reviewing films of the opposition so they can anticipate how they will act. They minimize distractions, and they have a laser-like focus on the task at hand. Everything in their lives becomes secondary to putting that puck in the net or that basketball in the hoop.

So, what is the lesson for us mere mortals? If we leave our lives up to chance, if we roll the dice or spin the roulette wheel, it's unlikely that the outcome will be the one we want. However, if we write down our goals — if even for the day — and map out what we need to do to achieve them, we increase our chances of success.

Do you agree? What have I missed in this brief review of what it takes to become a champion?

4 comments posted

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June 20, 2009

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