Growing up as a kid and then a teenager I was always energetic on the subject of sports. To watch it on a television or pursue it on the field were my staple for the day. Watching cricket, football, tennis even in the wee hours (when games were played in continents outside Asia) never troubled my appetite for the players I started to admire sub-consciously. That admiration grew with each passing match and my desire to be better on the field also inflated. In the hindsight, I am always grateful for my love-affair with sports. Because whatever I have come to recognise as my value-sets in life is mostly to do with this aspect of my hobby.
And if I have to broadly put up these learnings into three heads, it would be faith, discipline and humility. The faith which acts as a fuel in pursuit of realising our dreams is constant in every sphere of life. Without faith, the entire routine, roadmap, plans, and ambitions are hollow. The elite teams, sportspersons don't reach the pinnacle of their glory without having faith in themselves and in others who support them. Knowing the possibilities of failing despite trying their best, they go on match after match, tournament after tournament because the faith is not just in themselves but also in the process which built them as they are. It is their ability to get back on their feet after being pinned down by their opponents makes them stand apart from the rest. The faith that if they persist for becoming the best versions of themselves, the entire world is going to be their stage keeps the flame burning.
Similarly discipline is another common thread which binds all the elite, champion sportsperson. The worldly temptations come easily to the ones who are famous. And so to keep sanity and not lose focus like them is a virtue that all men must seek to possess. The game itself teaches a lot about discipline. The rules, regulations which govern precise measurements of geometry and time limits ensure that the players are given opportunities to prove their mettle without any bias or discrepancy. Discipline also teaches that it is meaningless without any direction. A disciplined sports project knows what to achieve and how to get there. It also believes that consistency albeit may be boring but is fundamental to identifying and solving the occasional errors.
And last but most importantly the lessons on humility. Sports make you realise that one cannot be forever soaked in the delirium of victories. The defeats are gentle reminders for one's limitations, pulling oneself back to the humble beginnings. And these contradictory emotions teach us to have genuine respect for the rivals at all times. It also emphasises on the fact that achievements and failures are nothing but collective responsibility, negating any false impression created under inflated egos. Humility and the lack of it, unlike discipline and faith is starkly visible on the field through the players' demeanour during a match. Those actions also highlight choices one make to have the desired result.
All the three lessons transcend the sphere of sports and spill over to almost every other sphere of life. The learnings which I have consciously or subconsciously imbibed over the years continue to guide me in everyday's conflict. This hobby of mine forms such an important part of me that I fail to acknowledge myself without it being a part. So as I look to continue my life's journey with faith, humility, and discipline I never intend to leave the side of this 'life coach'.
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