Thursday Thoughts... Pickleball-Up
Over the past couple of years, my family has discovered a shared love for pickleball. After family dinners, we often head to the courts for a friendly round-robin tournament. It gets us moving, laughing, and sparks just enough competition to keep things interesting. It also lets us be in community with the others playing.
The other night, we got to use the court next to some great couples from our community whom I greatly respect, and we even got to join in on the jams they had playing. Some great ballads ranging from Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls by TLC to No Sleep Till Brooklyn by the Beastie Boys.
Michelle’s mom especially loves playing, and let me give you fair warning: if you ever play my mother-in-law, you’d better strap it on. She takes her game seriously (far more seriously than I do!). Even my dad has joined in recently, and while I joke that he enjoys getting beaten by his grandchildren, I know he genuinely loves the time together.
What I appreciate most about pickleball is that it meets you exactly where you are:
Sure, there are varying skill levels, but the beauty is that the rules create space for everyone to participate and compete. My 75-year-old mother-in-law wins more matches than she loses, and my 13-year-old son beats me 1-on-1 two out of three times.
This has had me thinking a lot about how we might create more pickleball-like situations in other areas of life, reducing the barrier to entry. Pickleball is low-cost, accessible, and inclusive of a wide range of abilities.
First, let’s consider what that looks like in community. Imagine intentionally designing systems that bring together a wide range of abilities and ages, with base rules that allow everyone to get involved and gradually build their skills. I think we often build systems based on where we want or think people should be, and that keeps many from even giving it a shot.
I work in agriculture, and as I’ve been pondering this, I’ve come up with several ways to “pickleball-up” different parts of our industry, from ordering to inventory to sustainability. I’m sure if you took a minute, you’d find opportunities to do the same in your field, your church, or your community.
Now let’s talk social circles. We (myself especially) tend to choose our circle based on similarity and proximity. It makes sense, we want to be around people who think like we do, care about the same things, and are easy to connect with. But I need to “pickleball-up” some of the events I attend or make available to broaden my circle.
The world is full of amazing and wonderful people who are different from us and outside of easy reach. We’re only punishing ourselves if we don’t find a way to invite them in.
Earlier I mentioned base rules, so let’s be clear: Just like pickleball, some rules and principles shouldn’t be bent or broken. There are fundamentals that hold everything together—both personally and professionally. But within that framework, there’s always room to include more people, create more opportunities, and help everyone move forward from wherever they currently are.
That leads me to this week’s challenge… Where in your life, business, or relationships could you apply a pickleball mindset? Can you adjust your approach to better include others and grow together from there?
Let’s make the effort this week to “pickleball-up” and add more people to our game of life.
Side note… if you’re looking for a place to start, add me to yours!
I’m thankful you took the time to read this, for choosing to work, and for being part of what makes this world amazing.