In 1980, little known guard, Terry Duerod was making his debut for the Boston Celtics late in a game against the New York Knicks.

He took one shot, a jump shot from the top of the key, which rattled against the rim and then fell out.

Feeling slightly dejected in the locker room after the game, the team’s star, Larry Bird, came up to him and encouraged him to take that shot every time.

Duerod was a shooter and it would have been easy to go into his shell after that miss, but in doing so, he wouldn’t have been able to make the most of his strengths.

You have strengths.

You will also make mistakes.

But if you miss every now and then, please keep shooting.

Don’t drop your head, lift your eyes to look for the next opportunity.

Don’t aim for perfection, understand the need for persistence.

So please, take that shot every time.