Raise Your Game: The Power of Playing Up

Can you remember a time when you had to bring your A-game?

I can.

Early in my high school basketball career, we played one of the weakest teams in our league. We came in confident. Too confident.

We played sloppy. Turnovers. Bad shots. Lazy defense. We won, but we had clearly played down to our competition. It felt terrible.

A few weeks later, we faced our rival, a team we knew was better than us. If we were going to compete, we would have to bring our absolute best. And we did.

We were focused. Determined. Locked in. We played at a completely different level. In the end, we still lost — but we walked off the court proud, because we knew we had played up.

Can you relate? 

An opportunity just beyond your comfort zone. A moment that stretched you. A project that demanded more than you thought you had.

That’s the thing about growth – it requires playing up.

The Super Bowl and Playing Up

Watching the Super Bowl this week was a great example of playing up. 

We live just outside Seattle, so we were thrilled to watch the Seahawks face off against the Patriots – and a chance at redemption after losing to the Patriots in our last Super Bowl appearance.

When teams reach that stage, they don’t get to coast. They don’t get to rely on past wins. The margin is razor-thin. The speed is faster. The pressure is real.

Both teams had to bring their best.

Seattle, especially on defense, embodied that mindset. They rose to the moment. They didn’t play cautiously. They played up.

That’s what the biggest stages demand.

Above: The Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks this week brought everything they had to the table and played up on the biggest stage.

On Sunday, the Seahawks redeemed themselves on the biggest stage and embodied the concept of “playing up.”

In my own life, I’ve noticed that the most growth and positive outcomes have come during times when I’m most challenged and have to step up. 

It turns out this phenomenon has been studied, and it has a name. 

Eustress: The Good Kind of Stress

A few years ago, I was describing this pattern to my friend Marc Krejci – that feeling of being stretched just beyond your current ability. Not overwhelmed. Not bored. But fully engaged.

“Oh,” he said. “That’s eustress.”

Eustress is positive stress – the kind that happens when a challenge sits just above your current capacity. Not so easy that you coast. Not so hard that you shut down.

It’s the sweet spot.

Too little challenge and we underperform.

Too much and we choke.

But right in the middle? That’s where focus sharpens. Energy rises. Performance elevates. Athletes call it being “in the zone.” Psychologists call it flow.

Whatever you call it — it’s where growth happens.

Eustress and Innovation

I believe there is a correlation between innovation and this good kind of stress. In fact, no innovation happens without being required to play up to another level. 

No meaningful innovation happens while coasting.

It happens when something forces us to level up. When the current way isn’t enough. When the moment requires more clarity, more courage, more discipline.

I’ve written before about the connection between crisis and innovation. If necessity is the mother of invention, then crisis is the mother of innovation. 

Where are you feeling stretched right now?

Is it possible that the pressure you feel isn’t something to escape – but something to rise into?

Of course, there’s a difference between eustress and distress. If you’re overwhelmed or drowning, that’s different. That may require support, perspective, or structural change.

But if you’re simply being stretched?

This might be your moment to play up.

💡 Takeaway: Innovation happens when we have to play above our level, often in response to issues or crises. Eustress can give us the motivation we need to push ourselves to do things we may never have thought possible.

And when you do, you may discover a version of yourself – or your organization – that you didn’t know was possible.

Taking Sustainable Giving to the Next Level

Are you ready to play up and take recurring giving to the next level?

In our work with nonprofits, I’ve noticed a pattern.

Leaders don’t just want tactics to grow recurring giving. They want the right level of challenge. The right community. The right accountability. A space that pushes them — but doesn’t overwhelm them.

That’s why we created RISE.

RISE is an implementation-focused, group advisory program designed to help organizations grow sustainable recurring giving — together.

It’s structured support. Real guidance. A cohort of peers who are also choosing to play up.

Because here’s the heart of it: You don’t have to grow sustainable giving alone.

Enrollment for our first cohort is now open.

If you’re ready to take your recurring giving to the next level – to step into that healthy stretch zone – I’d love for you to take a look.

You can learn more and let us know if you’re interested at sustainablegiving.org/rise.

I hope to see you there!

Until next week… Surf’s Up! 🌊

Dave