There is a wave of emotions that we as athletes go through in a 10 month season overseas. We battle a lot on the daily basis; pressure to win games, termination risk if you are not playing well or your team is losing, geo-political conflicts in the world, and many other stressors. The season can be daunting at times, but it is crucial that in these times to do what the little fish Dory from Finding Nemo said, “just keep swimming.” We must be like water in these times, not for “them” but for ourselves. There will always be a reason to complain in Europe but that’s life, but seeing the glass half full can empower you in tumultuous times. Let your why be your true north, let it be your fuel to keep you going. Let us meditate on past experiences and how we have overcome so much thus far to push us pass the bump in the road.
It is easy to say be positive through situations that are out of your control, but it is harder to live it every day. There is not just a battle on the court, but an even stronger battle in your mind that we must win especially in troubled times. For instance, we all know that if your team loses 2 or 3 times in the row then someone is on the chopping block. Though it is not fair or just we must find peace in knowing that we can only control what we can control, and that is ourselves and our mindset. Your game is in a funk and you guys are losing is a serious situation, but what you are saying to yourself in these moments are even more important. Some things are out of our control and it is frustrating at times, but we must never waver. “We are built to last”, take a second to repeat that to yourself. I am built to last. I am more than a conqueror. There is a powerful scene is a movie called The Great Debaters where the actor Denzel Washington is reciting a chant to his students to repeat and orate back to him. The scene goes like this, “Who’s the judge?
The judge is God.
Why is he God?
Because he determines who wins and loses not my opponent.
Who is your opponent?
He does not exist
Why does he not exist?
Because he is a mere dissenting voice of the truth I speak!”
Let your truth speak, and let your actions be your truth. In difficult times we must realize how much we can’t control and let go of the wanting to control. Let your truth speak even louder in these moments.
In my 7 years overseas I have had some crazy experiences that could maybe be talked about at a different time . I am no expert by all means but there are practical steps that have helped me on my journey in some really dark times. Finding a spirituality. I spoke earlier on a true North, that North to me is my relationship with the Father Jesus Christ. Your foundation determines your destination. Getting out in nature and taking walks to reset the brain are important. I also journal 5 things that I am grateful for just to always remember how blessed I truly am, taking a hiatus from social media also helps. Sometimes the spirit of comparison can rob us of our own joy in our journey and cause us to become envious, and not thankful for the blessings in front of us. It is important to let loose of any distractions that can cause you to stumble. What causes us to stumble is different for each person, but the root of it is the same. So know the root and pull the root out and plant new seeds in the brain so the tree will grow in the proper season. Our seasons are 10 months, you will have good games, and not so good games, but man will never be satisfied anyway. The judgment meter will be moved regardless. You have a great game they love you, if you have a bad game, and you guys lose they hate you. The performance barometer is always skewed, so we must see the situations as the glass half full to keep a certain peace about us during the season.
At this point of our careers we have seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of this business. We have been on teams where they were late on payments, we have been on teams where we had horrible apartments, we have been on teams where the pressure was so high one miss shot felt like life was over. In your new situation meditate on the past to come back to your senses that it could always be worse, or remember how far you have come. I always say experience is your best teacher. There will always be storms, and in that storm the water in the ocean is still water. The wind may cause the water to rise, and move faster, but water is still water. It still flows. So in closing just keep swimming, and move with the storm, for a storm will not last always. Joy comes in the morning!
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