Check Your Emotions

If there's one thing I've learned by playing competitive sports: volleyball, basketball, softball, tennis and golf (these are the top ones for me) is that you can't play emotionally.

When I watch competitive (professional) sports, this sentiment is reiterated. You can't let emotions get in the way of the game/match/competition. You're bound to lose if you do.

I was the captain of my volleyball team, and I had one of the toughest coaches available. His name is Norbert. And yes, I'm sure his name led to his personal vendetta to be the very best. The best volleyball player, coach and police officer. Exactly...nice mix right??? I learned a lot from him about competition that I'll never forget. Perhaps I'll share at a later date.

What I will share now is this: I saw first hand how destructive certain emotions were. Anger, fear, and cockiness in particular. They would bring my game down like the proverbial ton of bricks. That's when luck would come into play-- say a long pause, another player gets sidelined, pigeons on the court. But luck can only take you so far. It can turn the game around, but only momentarily.

True skill and confidence are the only tools your can rely on in the end. Neither of which are emotional. And aren't these essential life tools?

Think about it!