Peace, Disappointment & How to Play the Game

The Power of Peace;

Joy is fleeting.

Peace is transformational.

Joy is an enticing emotional state. But it is difficult to maintain.

Joy is like the occasional clap of thunder.

Peace is the sound of moving clouds.

The athlete who is crazed with joy by a favorable result will be the same athlete who drowns in despair with an unfavorable one.

In all things seek peace.

When the game does not go your way, accept it for what it is, its fickle nature, and be at peace.

When the championship is yours, engage lightly in the celebration, knowing there are many more to play, and be at peace.

Knowing that you can find peace in any situation will lead to equanimity.

You will do well to understand, that the equanimous athlete is often the most powerful one in the field.

Disappointment;

You hit a shot or complete a performance.

The result was not what you wanted.

Disappointment arises.

What is the best way to deal with this all too common scenario?

Most performance coaches and sport psychologists will tell you to forget about the shot, focus on the next shot, find your composure, understand that it happens to everybody,...

Rather than look it this way, why not understand why it happened?

Rather than trying to rid yourself of the feeling and running away from it, why not ask where it comes from?

In order to fix a problem you must explore the problem.

The road to recovery begins with understanding.

Rather than ask, what can we do to deal with the disappointment, let’s ask why the disappointment arose to begin with?

A fix is a fix.

It is not a band-aid.

Any methodology aimed at fixing the problem should, over time, eliminate or significantly reduce the frequency of recurrence of the problem.

For how many years have you had this problem?

Have your rituals and post-shot routines and clever phrases fixed the problem?

Has running away from the problem stopped it from happening?

If they have, I congratulate you. If they haven’t, perhaps we should explore an altogether different approach. What do you say?

How to Play The Game;

Most players do not come to play.

They come to gain.

Whatever the reason, whatever the circumstance, if a game is played for gain, it cannot be truly played.

A Master does not come to win.

He does not come to lose.

He comes to play.

A common response to this idea is to believe that to play without the thought of winning is essentially a half-hearted and unserious effort.

Unserious, yes.

Half-hearted, never.

Why should it be serious?

When the game becomes serious, the game is no longer a game.

It may be assumed that a nonserious player, a Master, may shoot without focus, or strike without aiming.

This is a misunderstanding of the Master's way.

He gives himself to every stroke, to every strike, to every kick, and every shot.

As if his life depended upon it.

This is the reason it is fun.

This is the reason it is spiritual.

Modern players also play as if their life depended upon it.

The difference is they feel that their life depends upon the result.

The Master feels that his life depends upon his effort.

The Master plays to lose himself.

The non-master plays to enhance himself.

The Master realizes that the game has its own rhythm and he becomes part of the experience.

He has realized from experience that if he tries to guide the game his effort will be wasted.

He has learned that the only way to truly play is to abandon all hopes and desires. Because his mind is one-pointed, because it is not distracted by hope, it is fully available to him to complete the task at hand.

As a result the action is more forceful, graceful, effective, and complete.

A player whose mind is divided can only manufacture a partial effort.

He can only use a portion of his skill.

In order, then, to play the game, commit yourself to the playing.

Play like a warrior, with full presence of mind.

Lose yourself in the rhythm.

And allow all of your skill to surface.

"Peace Arrives, When the Chase Ends."

To Your Success,

Alec.