Playing Your Own Game: Lessons from 'Miracle' for Life and Success

Feb 27

One of my favorite movies, and I have A LOT of them that I watch over and over again, is Miracle. This is an account of the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team, comprised of amateurs, that managed to defeat the significantly more experienced and dominant Russian team. (This was way back when before the modern “dream teams” that play now.)

My love of the film may be influenced by having stayed up late to watch the original game when it aired. I remember the anticipation, the excitement, and the sheer joy of winning, feeling like I too was part of something bigger. Because the fact is, it felt like something more than just an Olympic game. The stakes, and the perceived cultural import, made it feel much greater than a sporting event, however enjoyable to watch. The outcome seemed more important too. (Not unlike this month’s Superbowl.)

The coach, Jim Brooks, had a radical idea and game plan on how to triumph over the Russians. He had a vision that he believed in. And he used that as his north star moving forward, with results that stunned the world. Brooks saw the game uniquely. He chose his players with his vision in mind, taking not necessarily the best players, but ones that would make his system a success. He made different choices than those mandated by conventional wisdom and long-standing tradition.

In one of my favorite scenes, the game is down to the wire and the team tries to hold onto their lead while the clock counts down. The excitement is palpable in the arena as the coach yells out to the team, “Play Your Game”! And they did.

The results were spectacular and electrifying.

But the real secret is that by playing their own game, they’ve already won. Real winning is deciding how you want to show up in the world and doing just that. If the outcome is what you wanted, that’s really just a bonus.

All too often in life, we allow ourselves to play games with rules and definitions of winning set by other people, often without questioning whether that feels like winning to us or if the game is even one we want to play.

We follow our siblings and peers growing up. We listen to teachers and follow the examples of others into early adulthood. We allow other physicians and even administrators to dictate what constitutes success and winning. But just like Jim Brooks, we have the ability to see the game our way. To see success and winning on our terms. And create both the game and the structure that allows it to come to fruition.