Hey Reader,
You know that voice in your head that tells you “this is too late” when things fall apart?
We’ve all been there.
Most people quit at the verge of victory because they focus on all the things that went wrong instead of the things they can still do right,
In today’s issue, we’ll uncover how to tap into your inner power that refuses to bow out even when everything appears as a lost cause.
💭 It’s over when you say it is
Let me paint you a picture.
Carlos Alcaraz was playing the French Open final against Jannik Sinner.
The match wasn’t going well.
He’d already lost two of the first three sets, and now Sinner was one game away from winning it all.
Sinner was up 5–3, 40–0. That’s three championship points. Three chances to close the door.
Almost everyone had written him off.
But Alcaraz kept showing up. He wasn’t overthinking the lost points. He was focused on the next point.
He saved one point, then another, then another.
From there, he fought through a tiebreak to take the fourth set. Suddenly it was 2–2.
Then, in the fifth and deciding set, after 5 hours and 29 minutes, Alcaraz won the French Open in another tiebreaker.
And he did it all because somewhere inside, he refused to concede.
After the match, he said: “It’s time to keep fighting, trying to find your moment, your good place again and just go for it. I think the real champions are made in those situations when you deal with that pressure… it’s no time to be tired, it’s no time to give up.”
🧠 The quiet way we quit before the game is over
Most people stop playing long before the match is actually over.
It’s easy when everything is clicking.
But things will go wrong.
You’ll make a great effort and still fall behind.
You’ll face moments where your plans will fall apart.
You’ll miss a shot, lose a deal, drop the ball on something you care about.
You can get too focused on beating yourself up in these fallout moments.
And without even realizing it, you start making safer choices.
You start finding subtle reasons to slow things down, to hold back more often, to quit that audacious goal.
Not because you lack ambition, but because you can’t stop replaying the points you’ve lost, the no’s you got, and all the things you can’t control.
Now you’re worried about the outcome you might lose next.
But if you can reframe your focus, you’ll realize the wins you can still get out of a seemingly dead cause.
❤️ Play what’s in front of you
The difference between those who rise and those who quit is how they respond when everything goes wrong.
Again and again.
When things are falling apart, if you focus on what’s right in front of you (rather than dwelling on what happened), you’ll be able to embrace the moment with greater presence and flexibility.
It’s called a next-play mentality.
You become more conscious about what you can still do, the yeses you can still get, and the vision you can still achieve.
You’re not afraid to try again.
You’re no longer feeling pressured; instead, you can still see possibilities.
You’re not stuck or carrying the weight of everything that went wrong.
You’re picking out the lessons you’ve learned and playing what’s in front of you.
And from there, momentum builds.
You’re confident that no matter what you just lost, you can still win.
Showing up the best way you can every single time.
🤲 Let go of what you can no longer control
We’ve all faced moments where we gave up in the face of discomfort.
It doesn’t matter now.
Here are 3 ways I’ve been able to build the next-play mentality (and you can too):
- Call yourself back to the present. When your mind is replaying a setback, take a moment to reconnect with your “why.” Why did you start in the first place? Is your “why” still worth fulfilling? If you have a strong why, it’ll bring you back to the present moment and fuel your momentum to focus on what you can still do.
- Turn reaction into response. Instead of thinking “I shouldn't have done this or that,” draw all attention to what’s right in front of you with the momentum your “why” has fueled inside of you. Give it your best shot again, like you would if you were so sure that you’ll win. Don’t let your energy drop at the verge of victory.
- Fight for your good place. You could use a "sweet distraction" to help move your best foot forward. If the situation allows you, take a walk right before you face it again, or call a trusted friend. If you’re on the spot like Alcaraz, think about how you really want to tell that story when it’s finally over. Will you say you gave up before it was even over? Or you won even when everything around you showed you had already lost?
🎯 Stay until it’s truly over
So, will you decide it’s finished, or will you give yourself the chance to see what happens if you show up a little longer?
The goal of the next play mentality is to keep you focused on what’s happening NOW.
Not what you wanted to happen.
Not what just happened.
Not what you had hoped would happen.
Focus on NOW.
NOW will tell you not to give up, to give it your best shot again, to start all over again until you win.
Because the greatest breakthroughs arrive one move after most people would have quit.
Like Nelson Mandela says: “It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
With appreciation,
Huw
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Huw Edwards
Founder & CEO, h3.xyz
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