As a sports fan, I am struck by just how much I learn about life by watching or playing sports. Right now I’ve got tennis on my mind so I’m going to talk about how I learned to play tennis.
When I began playing tennis, I had to learn the strokes — serve, forehand, backhand, slice, etc. During this process I was all thumbs, so discombobulated, so frustrated, wondering if I’d ever get it. With every stroke I was thinking, ‘watch the ball, swing the racquet, hit the ball on the strings, and on and on.’ The results were a mixed bag – lots of swings and misses, a whole lot of effort and angry outbursts. This went on for weeks and weeks as I would take one-step forward and ten steps backward. Then one day, seemingly all of a sudden, I was connecting with the ball, the strokes started to come easier, I began to relax, and soon, I was playing tennis, not like my favorite player but, enjoying it nonetheless!
What I saw in hindsight was this: when I stopped thinking about my strokes, the game came to me. And, I’ve discovered it’s often similar with life. When I stop worrying about what to say or overthinking what to do or second-guessing myself, then life’s a lot more fun … like playing a game!
Recent Comments