Dawn Staley was asked, “What’s the one event that changed everything for you?”
She immediately named ONE time.
She said, “It was a huge life lesson for me because I had never ‘failed’ that bad.”
She chose the hard route and the results were “plentiful”.
In 1992, Dawn Staley tried out for the US Olympic Team.
It was her one dream. Growing up, the Olympics was the only time she saw women’s basketball on tv and she wanted to compete there.
She thought she was an automatic bid.
She was a 2x Naismith College Player of the Year and had just led her team to a National Championship game.
After the tryouts, they called her in and told her that she didn’t make the team.
Her immediate reaction was that it was “BS” and “it was political”. That was her self-talk.
The committee told her that she didn’t make the team for two reasons:
(1) She was too short.
(2) She didn’t have enough international experience. She was frustrated, but knew that she now had a choice for herself.
She could either boycott and never play for the Olympic team or she could work her butt off and get that international.
Dawn Staley was asked, “What’s the one event that changed everything for you?”
She immediately named ONE time.
She said, “It was a huge life lesson for me because I had never ‘failed’ that bad.”
She chose the hard route and the results were “plentiful”.
In 1992, Dawn Staley tried out for the US Olympic Team.
It was her one dream. Growing up, the Olympics was the only time she saw women’s basketball on tv and she wanted to compete there.
She thought she was an automatic bid.
She was a 2x Naismith College Player of the Year and had just led her team to a National Championship game.
After the tryouts, they called her in and told her that she didn’t make the team.
Her immediate reaction was that it was “BS” and “it was political”. That was her self-talk.
The committee told her that she didn’t make the team for two reasons:
(1) She was too short.
(2) She didn’t have enough international experience. She was frustrated, but knew that she now had a choice for herself.
She could either boycott and never play for the Olympic team or she could work her butt off and get that international experience.
Looking back, Dawn said, “I couldn’t do anything about my height, but I surely can arm myself with an international experience.”
She then went and played abroad for 3 years. After 3 years of international experience, she tried out for the 1996 Olympic Team.
Dawn said, “I chose to go the hardest route and not the easiest route. I got to the other side and its been plentiful.”
If she doesn’t make that decision, she never becomes a 3x Gold Medal Champion as a player and a Gold Medal Champion as a coach.
Takeaway 1: Embrace “failure” and persistence – Growth is a habit and a choice. You might see “failures” or setbacks, but it’s your choice whether to grow from it or deny it. Dawn chose to use this rejection as an opportunity rather than a deterrent. She embraced the feedback and work hard to get better and dedicate herself to her craft. She chose to go the hardest route.
Takeaway 2: Focus on what you can control – Your focus drives your energy, attitude, and mindset.
• It means eliminate distractions.
• It means focus on what matters.
• It means focus on what you can control.
Staley recognized that while she couldn’t change her height, she could focus on improving and getting better. This adaptability underscores the importance of focusing on actionable changes instead of perceived slights.
“Dare to do what you don’t want, to get what you do want.” – Dawn Staley (@dawnstaley)
– – –
Follow @coachajkings for more posts like this!
Leave a Reply