Athletes live in a world of constant comparison, in a profession that has a metric for just about everything and a record of every movement, attempt and outcome since time began.
Today’s world isn’t so different, with social media and a ‘keeping up with the Jones’s’ mentality.
How do we rectify that, though? Easy, we think of champions.
We immediately equate being a champion to being the best and in some sports, this is the case. Individual sports are generally based around how quickly a task can be accomplished but team sports should be looked at differently.
Team sports are based on the ability to endure a persevere. An NBA season is 82 games, followed by a grueling stretch of 16 wins (potentially 28 games) of intense playoff basketball. It wasn’t the best team that always wins, but rather the team that was able to endure.
The Miami Heat were NBA finalists this year before ultimately falling to the Denver Nuggets. A failure? Depends who you ask. The Miami Heat were the eighth seed — the first ever eighth seed to make it to the finals. They outlasted, endured and persevered through their fair share of adversity before they fell.
Their opponent, the Nuggets, could be argued to have had the best team this season. Cases could also be made for a handful of other teams, as well. Regardless, the Nuggets are champions because they were the last team standing.
When you pick up your phone and feel inadequate as you scroll social media, looking at everyone else's highlights, find yourself comparing what you may (or may not) have accomplished in your own life, remember, this life is a marathon, not a sprint.
I was fortunate enough to play ten professional seasons. Ten years of being paid money to play a game. My highs weren’t as high as some of my teammates or peers, but I was able to prove one thing — with enough perseverance, dedication and will, you can squeeze the most out of the lemon you’ve been handed to make some lemonade.
When those thoughts of comparison come up, it is important to have the awareness of the situation and remind yourself that your race goes as long as you say it does. As long as you have the will to move forward and want more for yourself, you are still running the race.
Settle those thoughts and feelings of needing results right now and gain the perspective to see the moment as an opportunity to continue to improve.
Matthew McConaughey had a great line in an interview. When asked who his hero was, he replied, “who I will be in ten years.” It displayed an acute understanding and awareness of leaning into the process of getting better each and every day so that one day, you will be ready for the opportunities that present themselves to you.
Always remember to play the long game, people. If you run hard enough for long enough, you will land further than you ever imagined.
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