D.I. COLUMNIST
The Real Deal
with Tommy D'Aprile
I
have a question for all of you
reading this: How well do you
handle disappointment? What I
would like to say myself is that I
handle it absolutely amazingly and al-
ways with a good attitude, but I would
be lying through my teeth if I said that.
The simple truth is that we all have
gone through disappointment at one
point or another and will again.
I have heard this statement before:
“Disappointment is inevitable while
discouragement is a choice.” There it
is, plain and simple. It’s the choice we
make after the disappointment that
impacts our actions and behaviors after
the disappointment. The truth is that
it would be much easier if everything
went our way every day, but let’s get
real. The fact that every day is filled with challenges of some sort
keeps us in what I like to call the reality-check zone. So, how well are
you doing in it? Here is a story of my own challenge I faced recently.
At a recent PDRA race in Maryland, I was fortunate enough to
win the rain-postponed race from Virginia. After that final round,
my team and I marched through another tough field of cars and
drivers to again return for the second final round of the day. The day
was long and now it was late into the night. The final round was an
epic battle of blower versus turbo. After the tree dropped, both cars
were on stellar runs. Our car carried the front wheels way out past
the 330-foot mark and when the scoreboards lit up it was my oppo-
nent getting the win by an ever-so-slight margin.
But here was the kicker: we ran quicker than my opponent and
set low ET of the meet. It was a loss by way of a stinking holeshot.
Now, normally I’m pretty calm about losing a race when we get out-
run or have a parts failure, but when it was all on me I have to say it
certainly changes how I react. Looking for a hole in the sand to bury
my head, I just could not believe I had lost that way. Usually strap-
ping a holeshot on my opponent, I was not used to tasting my own
medicine and dare say I did not like it. I was certainly disappointed
and my team could tell. Now here’s the thing. I didn’t stay in a mood
for long, as my team is amazing and quickly we build each other
back up. My light was actually pretty good, while my opponent’s was
near perfect.
A good drag race with an outcome I did not like was turned into
a life’s lesson on attitude and behavior. The old saying “we can’t win
them all” is as true as it’s ever been. While I certainly would love to
win them all, the reality is that we all lose more races than we ever
win. Some of the best baseball players of all time still strike out more
than they get a hit, but they always keep swinging. Do you?
As for me and my team, we will keep swinging, taking the dis-
appointments along the way and turning them into good and not
defeat. You see, the truth is that the only one who can defeat you
is YOU. Win or lose in races or life, you will always have a choice to
make: the choice to stay discouraged or the choice to brush yourself
off and start over. Don’t stay under the covers and wish for the day
to go by. Get out there and choose to start anew. Take a moment to
process the disappointment and yes, get mad if you want for a little
bit, but don’t stay there. Realize that it’s only temporary and that
new opportunities are coming.
As for me and my team, we can’t wait for the next race. We will be
sharper and more focused than ever, determined to learn from our
defeat and become stronger. You can do the same in whatever you
are facing today. The choice is yours to make.
Email Tommy at
tommyd@dragillustrated.com
July 2019
(800) 208-1755
Meziere.com
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