Sunday #foodforthought
Growing up, mainly in the post-communist era, life was not easy (I am sure many people would say the same). It takes a while for a country to transform its mindset, and while the Velvet Revolution was one of the best things that has happened to the former Czechoslovakia, change takes a while! At the same time, I don't remember ever feeling like I was missing anything - maybe because I had loving grandparents who always set the bar high for me. Then I found my sport, which allowed me to put my whole heart and effort into something. In many ways - it was my #1 focus and my #1 distraction from anything else outside of that sport.
I always say I have never achieved the goals and dreams I have set for myself, and I am undoubtedly better off trying to live my dream and experiencing the life of a professional tennis player. And no - it is not a walk in the park. Striving to become the best you could be in tennis - or anything else, for that matter - requires some hard work, resilience, and constantly pushing your boundaries as, at some point - every tenth of a % counts. The better you get, the more it becomes about the little things that matter that get you closer to your goal. Complacency kills progress. You have to learn how to stay hungry and maintain some degree of "dissatisfaction" (in the most positive way) - always be striving for more. Never settle! There is an unlimited amount of things we can get better at. There is no straight line to winning - in a sport, business, or life. There is no straight line to becoming a champion.
Perhaps one of the key lessons my sport has taught me is that everything depends on discipline, hard work, and putting in the required effort. We can learn almost anything if we set our mind and focus on it - if we are willing to roll up our sleeves, dive deep to understand what is dragging us down, and show up with full intention every day to improve our game - whether it is in sports, business, or life. In many ways - the harder the road is - the more experiences you can collect and the more skills you can gather. And it is on us to decide - whether we let it break us or make us more resilient.
The one thing I know for sure = complacency kills progress. Don't be complacent. Don't stall progress. Stay #humble and #hungry, and don't lose sight of your #strengths. They are the key differentiators that make our game, and they will always be the things that help you win the deciding points! In tennis, business, or life.
Soundtrack
Credit for #humble and #hungry goes to #GeorgeMulhern n George Mulhern episode #77 of the Grand Slam Journey Podcast.
Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/grand-slam-journey/id1539036819?i=1000654537384
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