Urban Meyer often talks about The Success Equation: E + R = O. That is, Event + Response = Outcome.
You can’t control the Es of life—the Events you encounter. And you don’t have direct control over the Os—the Outcomes. The only thing you do have total control over is the Rs—your Responses to the Events you encounter.
Successful people focus on the R part of the equation while unsuccessful people tend to focus too much on the E part.
Once you understand that, the next step is to make sure you’re Responding to Events in a way that leads to a positive Outcome.
How do you make sure your Response leads to a successful Outcome?
Ohio State football coach and three-time National Champion Urban Meyer offers outstanding advice on the matter.
Here are the six “R Factor” disciplines Meyer teaches his players…
R:1 Press Pause
We teach our players, in response to any situation they face, to press pause and ask: What does this situation require of me?
Pressing pause gives you time to think. It gets you off autopilot and helps you gain clarity about the outcome you are pursuing.
R:2 Get Your Mind Right
Getting your mind right means managing two things:
If you focus on negative things and talk to yourself in negative ways, that will put you into a negative mindset. Your performance will suffer.
R:3 Step Up
Your R is most important when the E is most difficult.
Resilience is one of life’s most important attributes. Because nobody wants hardship or adversity, but everybody gets it. It’s inevitable. No one escapes pain, fear, or difficulty. In fact, a productive and successful life involves some amount of necessary pain.
When it happens, don’t run from it.
Learn from it.
R:4 Adjust and Adapt
If what you are doing isn’t working, change it. Don’t blame the E, choose a better R. Don’t hold on to what’s holding you back.
Make sure the habits you have today are in alignment with the dreams and goals you have for tomorrow.
R:5 Make a Difference
Your R is an E for others.
Make a Difference means taking complete ownership of the experiences you give to teammates and the contribution you make to the culture of the team. The way you manage your R matters not just to you, but to the guys around you.
R:6 Build Skill
Complacency is the enemy of exceptional. Grow beyond your talent!
Embrace discomfort. Discomfort indicates that change is about to happen. Push through the pain. If it doesn’t challenge you, it will not change you.
– Urban Meyer, from his book Above the Line
When facing a difficult or unforeseen Event, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed and knocked off track by it. You need to be disciplined in how you Respond to it.
Using the above six principles will help ensure that your Response is appropriate to whatever Event you’re encountering.
