Charles Levin
We tend to believe that success is decided in the spotlight. But what if it’s actually decided in the quiet moments just before it, when no one is watching, and nothing has happened yet?
In the latest episode of The Munn Avenue Muse, host Charlie Levin sits down with legendary basketball coach Sherry Levin to discuss her book Pregame: A Winning Mindset. While her stories come from the court, her lessons apply to authors facing blank pages, entrepreneurs staring down risky launches, and anyone standing on the edge of a life-changing moment.
This isn’t really about sports.
It’s about pressure and what you become when it arrives.
Are You a Diamond or a Pencil?
Under enough pressure, carbon can become either graphite or a diamond.
Same substance. Different outcome.
Sherry uses this metaphor to challenge her players and now her readers to rethink adversity. Pressure doesn’t destroy you; it reveals what you’re willing to become.
When deadlines stack up, when rejection emails land, when life suddenly feels heavier than expected, you face a quiet choice:
Will you wear down… or crystallize?
“The choice is yours,” she tells her team.
For writers, this might mean finishing the chapter you’re tempted to abandon. For leaders, it may mean making the decision you’d rather postpone. For anyone in pain, it could simply mean getting up tomorrow and trying again.
Pressure is not the enemy. It’s the forge.
The Power of “Next Play”
One of Sherry’s former players, Leticia Rolle, carried a single lesson from the court into her life as an entrepreneur and model:
Next play.
Missed opportunity? Next play.
Failed launch? Next play.
Bad day at work or at home? Next play.
In sports, hesitation costs possessions. In life, it costs years.
Writers often stall because they keep rereading what didn’t work. Professionals replay conversations long after everyone else has moved on. Creators abandon projects because the first version wasn’t perfect.
But progress belongs to those who refuse to freeze in the past.
A setback isn’t a stop sign. It’s a transition.
Momentum is built one forward motion at a time.
The 3:12 Miracle
Sherry recounts a championship game where her team trailed by nine points with only 3 minutes and 12 seconds left.
Most teams would mentally check out. The scoreboard looked final.
Instead, she gave them a simple, calm directive:
Three stops.
Three scores.
One play at a time.
No speeches. No panic. No desperation.
Just a plan small enough to execute under pressure.
They followed it possession by possession and completed the comeback to win the championship.
Years later, Sherry used the same mindset during her battle with breast cancer. She didn’t try to conquer the entire fight at once. She focused on the next appointment, the next treatment, the next day.
Overwhelm shrinks when the horizon shrinks.
Your life rarely turns on one massive heroic act. It turns on a series of composed responses when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
Everyone eventually faces a personal “3:12” moment.
Why This Matters Now
We live in a culture obsessed with outcomes and impatient with process. We celebrate the highlight reel while ignoring the preparation that made it possible.
But every breakthrough is preceded by invisible minutes of doubt, fear, recalibration, and resolve.
The email you almost didn’t send.
The draft you almost deleted.
The conversation you almost avoided.
Those moments shape trajectories more than any grand plan ever could.
And none of us does it alone.
Behind every composed performance is a network of belief, teammates, editors, mentors, readers, family, and friends. Success is rarely solitary; it is communal strength expressed through individual action.
Sherry’s guiding question cuts straight to the core:
“In the eyes of someone else, would they be proud of you?”
Not impressed. Proud.
It’s a measure of character, not achievement.
Is Your 3:12 Already Ticking?
Maybe your moment looks like:
Publishing the piece you’re afraid to share.
Starting the book you keep outlining but never writing.
Making the call you’ve been postponing.
Showing up again after a quiet disappointment.
You don’t need to solve everything today.
You only need to win the next play.
Because sometimes three minutes used well can echo across a lifetime.
Read It Now
🎧 Listen to the full episode of The Munn Avenue Muse featuring Sherry Levin on your favorite podcast platform.
📘 PREGAME: A Winning Mindset is available now at:
🌐 Connect with Sherry at SherryLevin.com
✍️ If you are preparing for your own “game day” whether that means writing a book, launching a project, or stepping into a new chapter, Munn Avenue Press is here to help you turn preparation into publication. If you would like to publish your book or audiobook (or are just beginning to imagine it), visit MunnAvenuePress.com and let the team help you bring your vision to life.
Happy Writing!
Charlie Levin, Publisher & Founder
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