For almost a half century, from 1946 through 1995, the most infamous home court advantage in sports belonged to the Boston Celtics when they played at the old Boston Garden.

The Garden had a unique parquet floor that opponents found disconcerting and, anecdotally, it was said that the Celtics knew where the dead spots were on the floor. By forcing visiting teams to dribble over the dead spots, Celtics players could steal errant dribbles to their advantage.

Whether the legends of floor manipulation were true or false, it was more important that the players believed that the Celtics had the advantage by knowing where to take advantage of the floor.

Regardless of whether we play in the NBA or work in a downtown office, our environment is a critical influencer on our performance. If we are too hot or cold, have poor or good internet connectivity, or wear the right clothing, our performance will be impacted positively or negatively.

Many elements of our environment are within our control – like wearing short or long sleeves, purchasing the right equipment for the job or choosing a work schedule which best suits your tendencies (are you a night owl or a lark?). Knowing what works or doesn’t work for us help to create a positive environment and better work product.

But what happens when we face circumstances we can’t control? Circumstances like the weather – playing soccer in the rain; or a plane sitting on the tarmac for hours waiting to depart – are outside of our control and can negatively impact our work product.

In every circumstance we face, our environment will affect our stress level positively or negatively. The outcome is often dependent on what we believe about our environment, particularly when conditions are less than optimal for us.

Yes, our belief about the conditions in which we work or play is as important, sometimes moreso, than the actual conditions.

Human beings are amazingly resilient, most of the time. How we adapt to conditions we can’t control or believe are less than optimal, can make or break us.

One learning tool I have used to my benefit is visualization. Several days before a big event I will write out a ‘perfect script’ – I plan the happenings from a few days before the event until the end of the event. I script it in such a way that every detail is in my favor. A few days later, I review the script, line by line, circumstance by circumstance.

At each point, I ask myself “What if this doesn't happen the way I planned?” What if traffic is snarled, what will I do? What if the temperature is several degrees warmer or colder on the day of the marathon? And with each question, I ask myself what will I do if ‘x’ happens. By doing so, I have a plan in advance of how to move forward. I won’t waste energy or get anxious because I have thought of a solution and move forward.

When we believe we have a solution, we are better prepared to adapt to whatever comes our way. By being better prepared, we keep a positive attitude and achieve better results, regardless of whether we have home court advantage or are playing away from home.