I was fortunate to be coached by Major Dhyan Chand, India's legendary Hockey Wizard.
Among the many lessons he taught us, one has stayed with me throughout my life.
During training, he would remind us that the objective of hockey is not to dribble beautifully in the middle of the field.
The objective is to score.
His advice was simple:
"Take the ball to the D."
Why?
Because that is where goals happen.
If you reach the D:
- You may score.
- Your teammate may score.
- Sometimes, even the opposition may accidentally create the opportunity for you.
But one thing is certain:
Nothing happens if the ball never reaches the D.
Over the years, I realised that this lesson applies far beyond hockey.
Many of us spend our lives dribbling in the middle of the field:
- Planning endlessly.
- Discussing endlessly.
- Preparing endlessly.
- Perfecting endlessly.
Yet we never move our effort to where results can actually occur.
Take the ball to the D.
Where in your life are you still dribbling in the middle instead of taking the ball to the D?