Time Out

In the last several years all three of my girls seemed to have fallen in love with volleyball and it has actually become one of my favorite sports to watch. If both teams are talented and have the right chemistry, the games can get intense and highly competitive. It is a game of momentum and a pretty high level of skill. To those who have never really paid attention it looks like just bumping the ball back and forth over a net, but to those who have spent time watching the right teams it is obvious that there is so much more to it. There are those trained to bump or, at times, dig out, the hard hits from the other team. Others have practiced setting, or expertly lofting the ball into the perfect position for the third person, the hitter, to pound the ball to the other side in hopes that the other team cannot return it. When it is orchestrated perfectly it is an absolute thing of beauty: a work of art.

The game is a game of momentum. Scoring is done in what is called rally scoring, meaning that every time it is served someone will get a point. So if your team can break the other teams serves or their rally, you can quickly get momentum back to your side. Each team has 2 timeouts during each set and I’ve never seen a sport where a timeout affects momentum like it does in volleyball. In almost every instance I’ve watched this year, it seems that the team who called the timeout has been able to come out of it and break the momentum that was quickly bringing their team to ruin. It didn’t always change the outcome of the game, but, even if for a brief few plays, it seemed to neutralize the momentum.

Life can be a thing of momentum at times, too. We often talk about how certain negative things come in threes or they at least come in waves. Other times it seems that when we make a bad decision it begins to snowball and the momentum appears to be driving us straight down hill into the dark valley where we do not want to end up. It can be very difficult to stop the momentum, yet in an effort to, we often make rushed or downright bad decisions and we find ourselves in a worse place. We turn to the things and the people who do not help—and turn away from the very things and people who will help.

It is at those times that you need to take a lesson from volleyball: call a timeout. What you are doing is not working. Step away from the court for a moment and consult with trusted people in your life. Relax and take a moment to just soak in the surroundings. Rest. Breathe. Consider some changes. And think of the word KISS:

• KEEP — What are some things you can keep doing that are working?

• INVESTIGATE - What are some things you can investigate that could help?

• START - What things might you start doing that you haven’t before?

• STOP - What are some things you need to stop doing that are causing more problems?

So next time things seem out of control, take a timeout. Consult those who are closest to you. Get some new perspective. Rest. Breathe. Make necessary changes and get momentum going the right way again.

Ben