Hold on to the racket. Take a deep breath. The tennis ball is flying through the air like a hummingbird with a destination. On the surface, tennis doesn’t look like rocket science. There is a grind behind every whack, slice, and lob. The sound of sneakers on acrylic, the laser-like attention, and the strange treats in the middle of the game (who thought bananas were good for gaming, anyway?). Victory comes at quiet times, like the scarcely audible gasps between gunfire. Have you ever tried to copy a pro’s serve in your living room? Don’t worry; we’ve all damaged a light. See on Adam McManus Etobicoke

Let’s trade our racquets for skis. They say to glide. The adrenaline, the cold wind on your face, and the hard white ground under your boots. But no one comments about the boots, which are hard as bricks and always two sizes too small after lunch. When you’re up on the peak, adrenaline flows through your veins like coffee. The slope rolls out in front of you, and all of a sudden, gravity has something to say. If you miss one edge, you’re a cartoon snowball. Have you ever tried to explain a chairlift fall to a five-year-old? You’ll never win that tale contest.

Now, go ahead and dive in. Underwater, silence is thick like wool. A diver jumps off the board, cutting through the air, folding and flipping, and looking for the perfect dive. Anything less than a little splash is not okay. You come out, squinting and blinking because of the chlorine, hoping the judges spotted your toenails pointing just right. Those degrees of rotation are like hieroglyphs. Did you remember to shave your legs? Little things, yet in diving, they could mean gold or just water up your nose.

Money, though—that’s a whole other game. There aren’t any flags or applause from the crowd on the financial track, only statistics that flash like fireflies at night. Whispers, not yells, influence the markets. One minute, you’re doing well, and the next, your investing account looks like a ski jump in the spring melt. Everyone talks about “diversification” and “liquidity,” but not many people realize how much coffee affects those choices.

Sometimes, trading stocks feels like diving. One mistake, and splash—your returns make waves for all the wrong reasons. If you think of finance like tennis, the market serves curveballs, and if your backhand isn’t ready, you’ll be chasing pennies down the baseline. Is this a good idea? Stay flexible, ask questions that no one else does, and be on the lookout for hidden surprises. No one has ever won a match by standing motionless and waiting for luck to come to them.

Sports and money take ideas from one other’s playbooks. Both need guts, timing, and a little bit of craziness. There are times when you make mistakes. Sometimes you go down a slope, breathless and with burning muscles, just to fall at the end. Sometimes you hit the sweet spot, make a great trade, and get the ace. Keep going. Every day is a chance to get a new score, whether you’re on the court, in the pool, on top of a mountain, or with a calculator in hand. You only have to take the shot.