Do you ever tell yourself “I made my move… now the ball is in their court” ?
I used to do it all the time. I’d tell myself things like:
• “I asked her out, she had no time. Now it’s up to her to take initiative.”
• “I told him I was willing to squash our beef, he reacted with hesitation, so now the ball is in his court.”
• “I asked for pizza, they didn’t have pizza. What kind of restaurant doesn’t have pizza?? This is an outrage!! I mean, it’s the 21st century for god’s sake! You can at least lie to me and secretly have the pizza line deliver to your kitchen. What is this? One of those MTV prank shows?? ’cause I don’t think it’s funny, bitch!! The ball’s in your court now to satisfy me. Better act fast or my review on TripAdvisor will be be juicier than the pizza I was hoping to order.”
While this type of thinking seems correct, it has a major flaw:
What if the other team simply doesn’t know the ball is in their court?
It would just keep laying there until both teams abandon the field because they’re tired of waiting.
Think how ridiculous it would sound if a sports coach gave his team one of the following pep talks:
• “We tried to score, but they didn’t let us. So why should we bother trying again?”
• “Don’t go up there guys, let the ball come to you first, then act.”
• “Alright team, here’s our strategy: We’ll just wait and do nothing.”
Sounds pretty stupid, right? Yet we do it all the time.
What If?
Next time you catch yourself thinking it’s the other person’s turn to make a move, ask yourself if you’re willing to let that ball rot away forever. And be left with a lot of “what if’s” 5 years from now.
• What if we had both been willing to admit our mistakes and became even better friends than before?
• What if you had contacted that company one more time, nd it turned out to be the start of a great career?
• What if you had asked that guy out instead of waiting for him because “it’s the man’s role” … and you turned out to be a perfect match?
• What if I had just shut up and kissed her when she was wishing for it instead of wanting it to be that “perfect moment” like that (clearly incompetent) coach from earlier?
A lot of times the answer won’t really bother you because you simply don’t care enough about the situation. But if you want something really badly, then you should always assume it is still your turn…because if you don’t here’s some other possible “what if’s” you maybe didn’t think of yet:
• What if your first move was just really weak and you only kicked the ball half way?
• What if it never even reached their court? How could they ever make a move?
• What if it’s still stuck on the middle line and it’s actually fair play for both of you?
• What if that gorgeous creature of the opposite sex was thinking exactly the same as you and the biggest regret you’ll both have is that you never knew what could’ve been?
So there you have it. The ball is in your court right now. Are you gonna be the first to walk up there and hit it as hard as you can? Or are you just gonna keep waiting for the other team while they’re waiting for you…. and no one ever scores?
I think you know the right answer.