You can't worry about the last game so much, because you're

Hear the words of Ja Morant, a warrior of the court, whose wisdom flows from the rhythm of the game: “You can’t worry about the last game so much, because you’re always moving on to the next one.” This saying, though born of sport, carries the eternal truth of life itself. For life, like the game, is not fixed in one moment, one failure, or one triumph. It is a river, ever flowing forward. To cling to the past—whether in sorrow or in glory—is to drown in still waters while the current of destiny moves on without you.

The ancients knew this truth. The Stoics declared that the past is no longer ours, and the future is not yet ours; only the present belongs to us. To dwell endlessly upon yesterday’s wounds or victories is to lose today’s strength. The warrior who lingers over his last defeat will falter in the next battle, just as the warrior who revels too long in his last triumph will be caught unprepared by tomorrow’s foe. Thus Morant speaks not only of basketball, but of the discipline of the soul: to release what is gone and to rise ready for what is to come.

Consider the tale of Alexander the Great after the conquest of Persia. Many would have rested, drunk on victory, content with what had been gained. But Alexander did not fix his gaze upon the last game; he looked toward the next horizon. This forward spirit carried him further than any king before him. Yet, we must note also his flaw: in never pausing to reflect, he eventually stretched too far. The lesson is balance—do not cling to the past, but also do not rush blindly forward. Let each game, each chapter, teach you, then move on with wisdom.

So too in the story of Abraham Lincoln, who suffered many defeats before rising to the presidency. He failed in business, he lost elections, he knew the sting of rejection. Had he chained himself to the pain of those defeats, he would never have risen. But he pressed forward, leaving each loss behind, always preparing for the next contest. His greatness was not in never falling, but in never letting the last fall steal the strength for the next rise.

The heart must learn this lesson: yesterday cannot be changed, but tomorrow can still be shaped. To worry over what is past is to waste the power of the present. Even your victories, if clung to too tightly, can become prisons, for life is not meant to be lived in remembrance alone. The next game is always calling, demanding your focus, your energy, your whole being.

What lesson, then, must you take? When you fail, do not chain yourself to regret. Reflect briefly, learn, and then move forward. When you succeed, rejoice, but do not become drunk on glory—prepare again, for life is not finished. Whether in sport, in labor, or in love, you are always moving to the next moment, the next challenge, the next chance to rise.

Practical actions are clear: when the weight of failure presses on you, speak to yourself: “That is gone. I am here. I move forward.” When the sweetness of victory tempts you to linger, remind yourself: “That too is gone. The next awaits.” Write your lessons from the past, but do not dwell there. Train your mind to focus on today’s task, and you will walk in strength.

Thus remember the wisdom of Ja Morant: do not live in the last game. Live in the game before you, the battle at hand, the challenge yet to be conquered. For the past is a teacher, but the present is the battlefield. And only those who release yesterday can step boldly into tomorrow.