11/10/2024

Life as Sport

Sir Henry Newbolt’s famous words, “Play up, play up and play the game” referred to war. However, I think this encouragement can be applied to life, not just warfare.

Everyone sees life with their own perception.   Some people go through life carrying the world's weight on their shoulders, while others live life to the fullest regardless of the situations surrounding them. Some are optimistic and focus on the best and delight in life; no matter what. Some are pessimistic and are depressed by the worst. I try to see reality as Jesus Christ saw it.

In John 3:16-17 we read, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” If God loves the world, it must be - essentially – good.

God is Emmanuel – with us, in creation’s space-time. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Mt 5,8) God is my spectator as I play each day’s responsibilities and tasks; helping God make this world a better place: “All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made” (Jn 1,3)

The giver of a gift is in the gift. God is in Creation. The gift of Faith enables us to see that. The gift of love enables us to love the world and do our best to make it better.

 ‘I don’t run away from a challenge because I’m afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.,’ said Nadia Comaneci (born 1961), five-time Olympic gold medalist Romanian gymnast. 

Blaming others for anything wrong in your life is the easiest way never to reach your dreams and goals. Taking 100% responsibility for everything in your life will give you the power to change it.

There’s no glory, no satisfaction in drifting through time. The beauty of life lies in serving others – Christ said ‘what you do to the least of mine, you do unto me’(Mt 25,40) – by overcoming challenges and realizing your own potential in the process. At its deepest level, life is not about competing with others. It’s about becoming the best version of yourself: fulfilling your potential. No one can beat you at that. 

“If you aren’t going all the way, why go at all?” asked Joe Namath (born 1943), American Football quarterback inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1985. If you are going to try, why not give your best? A half-hearted approach never helps. If you raise your standards, you  become a stronger and better person in the process. A mediocre goal is boring, dull, and doesn’t create any value for anyone.

“There may be people that have more talent than you, but there’s no excuse for anyone to work harder than you do,” mused Derek Jeter (born 1974), baseball player who spent his entire 20-year career with the New York Yankees. Working on your relationships, helping your family and friends is always rewarding.

You have to rely on your work ethic to get ahead in developing your potential across your PIES: the physical, intellectual emotional and spiritual dimensions of your life. It is never about the talent or cognitive skills, it is about the non-cognitive skills such as courage, discipline, team-work, vision, and grit. 

Never forget you are a relational creature, part of a global whole. As Andre Agassi( born 1970) – resonating with the word of Jesus Christ (Mt 25,40) - put it, “Remember this. Hold on to this. This is the only perfection there is, the perfection of helping others. This is the only thing we can do that has any lasting meaning. This is why we’re here.” These are words of a former No 1 tennis star, eight-time Grand Slam champion, 1996 Olympic Gold Medalist – as well as runner up in seven other Grand Slam tournaments. The purpose of life is to be of purpose. In the end, the greatest wealth you’ll ever have is the impact you had on others. Ask yourself, “how am I changing others’ lives for the better?”

‘If you want to be the best, you have to do things that others aren’t willing to do.’ challenged the swimmer Michael Phelps 9(born 1985), most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals.

Your identity is the aggregate of your PIES: P - your DNA, your body – with its fingerprints - and its male or female organs; your ‘I’ – your perceptions and values; E – your feelings, passions and emotions and S – your consciousness and relationship with God. Whatever your age, it is never too late to draw up a plan to develop each of these. 

Never forget that these PIES – yours and those you know - are impermanent, fluid – perhaps accelerating. You can take them one at a time and plan your ‘development programme’.

My experience has shown that, to be effective -  rather than using a blunderbuss and at any one time trying to concentrate on too many things  – it far more effective to use the six-step plan that has served me well these past 81 years:1.select, 2.focus, 3. commit, 4.work, 5.endure and 6.learn – perhaps to reselect your target.

Why not select an exercise routine and - starting small - ramp up your push-ups, squats, pull-ups and stretching exercises? Perhaps going for a run or cycle-ride? The key thing is to keep on keeping on. With an occasional break.  Sundays, for me, are rest days.

Your struggles will shape your life. In life you can be both reactive and proactive. In both these you might fail to achieve your goal. However, as the boxer Muhammad  (19142-2016) put it, “He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.’ If you are tempted to give up, remember Tom Brady – a top American football quarterback – and his conviction, “If you don’t believe in yourself, why is anyone else going to believe in you?” Tom believes in himself because he had put in the work.

Let me ask you, “are you believing in yourself enough?” If not, is it because you haven’t put in the work? Is it because your habits don’t align to achieve your desired level of success?

As Michael Jordan (born 1963) - one of the greatest basketball players of all time - made it clear: “Obstacles do not have to stop you. If you run into a wall, do not turn around,  and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it or work round it.”.

As I put it, “If a door closes, knock a hole in the wall, and build a new one.”

I see my life as a sport in which I need to become the best version of myself; to acquire the virtues that will enable me to live with God in eternity. 

I know that every move I make across my PIES, The Blessed Trinity sees. On the pitch of life in space-time, the audience – the spectators – are the Blessed Trinity.