All of the attention surrounding last week’s big powerball jackpot made me think about how important it is to bet on a long-shot once in a while.
For too many of us, taking these kinds of all-out chances seems to stop at buying lottery tickets. But it shouldn’t.
How great is it in football when one team goes for an onside kick when no one expects it? Or the suicide squeeze in baseball, or throwing a bomb on fourth and inches when everyone is thinking run, or doubling-down in blackjack when the dealer is showing a face card?
Sometimes you have to say, “What the heck.”
My friend and former Rangers goalie Mike Richter likes to say that when the game is on the line and you have three guys skating over 30 miles an hour towards you, and you know one of them is going to take a slap shot at you, you can’t be scared of not knowing how it’s all going to play out. You have to find joy and fun in that unknown.
When was the last time you embraced the unknown by making a cold sales call, or applying for that position you were a long shot to get, or trying to meet someone you’ve always wanted to meet? When was the last time you took a chance on a long shot?
Sometimes they hit.
