TSSI #17 - 2 Lessons From A Decade of Pro Sport
Read Time: 3 minutes
I missed last weeks newsletter!
Apologies. I was busy spending time with my family back in Wales for the first time in over a year. It was amazing to be back in the homeland.
I recently got asked by one of my students from Eagle Fustar Tennis Academy to be a guest on her podcast “In My Head: The Internal Battle”.
It ended up being a great discussion where I really got to reflect on a number of topics that I (and hopefully you) am passionate about:
Mental toughness
Mindset
Personal Character Development
I wanted to share one particular answer to a question that Lavanya asked me for today’s newsletter:
What were some of the most valuable lessons you learned during your playing career?
In reflection, what I learned was 2 things:
“Winning doesn’t always equal success”
It’s about the person you become throughout the journey
“Winning doesn’t always equal success”
Let me explain.
Valarie Kondos-Field, former UCLA gymnastics coach, does a great ted talk titled “Winning doesn’t always equal success”.
She was witness to the US gymnastics sexual abuse scandal, having coached multiple girls who came through the US gymnastics system under the team doctor Larry Nassar.
US gymnastics were one of the most winning gymnastics teams in the world. But to Valerie, that wasn’t a success.
Because the girls were broken and unhappy. Emotionally damaged from what was going on behind closed doors.
Her lesson (and one that I learned through my career) is that success comes from being a good person, doing things right, giving your best and having fun along the way.
That’s what defined her approach as the UCLA coach…and consequently, they became both a winning and successful team.
Success is not solely about winning. Because there are plenty of winners out there who are selfish, unhappy, arrogant and unethical.
Winning that way isn’t a success.
The Person you Become in the Process
The second lesson that I learned is that whether you achieve your big outcome goal or not, that's not what's important.
During covid, I watched a great documentary called “Finding Joe”, which closely looks at the foundations of all stories.
They focus on Joseph Cambell’s observation that all stories go through 'the hero's journey'.
Simplified...
Initially, there’s a call to adventure at the start of all stories.
A goal, a mission, something that pulls the character out of their current world.
For me, that was the goal of Top 100 ATP.
Along the way you meet helpers and mentors that embark on the journey with you (coaches etc), until one point you get challenged.
You go through trials and tribulation.
Injuries, setbacks, obstacles. Anything that makes your journey tough.
Through these challenges, the character has a revelation. There’s a death and rebirth. The challenge has turned the character into a new person. A stronger person with new knowledge.
The person is transformed.
The person then goes on to finish their journey and share what they learned along the way.
The important part of the hero’s journey is the inner transformation that happens as a direct result of the obstacles and challenges faced.
It wasn’t about whether they succeeded on their mission or not, but more about who they became through their journey.
As an athlete particularly, the career is short. There’s a whole life after you finish. Sport can teach you so many great lessons and transform you into a better character.
Even in business, the lessons that you learn and the person that you become goes on to serve you in future ventures.
Resilient, disciplined, hard working, humble, respectful, focused, resourceful & a great leader.
Just a few examples of traits and skills one can learn along the journey.
Your Takeaways:
Be a good person- humble, kind, respectful
Give your best efforts always
The inner transformation is more important that your external achievements
To listen to the full podcast, listen here.
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