I play tennis regularly with my friend Ming.
One day, a new player Dan joined our group. He was known for his tricky serves. The ball curved everywhere and was difficult to read.
After losing a few games, Ming became frustrated. He kept saying those shots were hard to return.
At first, I tried encouraging him:
“You’ve got this. Just figure out the pattern.”
But it didn’t work. Nothing I said seemed to help.
Finally, I said:
“Yeah, you’re right. You’ll probably never beat him.”
Ming looked at me in complete shock.
Surprisingly, it got him fired up. He beat Dan the very next game.
Motivation isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Sometimes the best way to support a friend is to remind them how good they really are.
