” Man is nothing but the sum of his actions” Jean Paul Sartre
I believe everything we do personally and professionally, makes us who we actually are.
Picking up a new sport in mid 30s is breaking out of comfort zone. Since early 20s I practiced meditation & had spiritual groups, so a sport with sword was unimaginable to my friends. Yet, Fencing has taught me valuable lessons that I carry in my day while I look forward to holding the blade.
- Life gives a Moving Target: Why do we fall behind in achieving goals? Theoretically, reaching your goal is a straight line between the target and you, but add the dynamism of life in play: somedays you lack motivation, you don’t have time, you mindlessly browse your phone, you fail to prioritize, you promise to start tomorrow or maybe you are unwell. Nothing in life is linear, there are ups and downs and no two days are ever alike. In fencing, your target is the opponent who’s constantly moving & stabbing, so you have to attack and defend. You assess the opponents move and strategize. To reach our goal, we must adjust our strategy depending upon the curveball life throws at us. The roadblocks to life’s goals are just opponent attacking, and to win, we have to go through the bout with improved game plan.
- Observe yourself to improve: “An unexamined life is not worth living”- Socrates. Sometimes during practice, I record my moves and replay them to identify my mistakes and improve. This has also made me reflect upon my days, where can I save more time, how to be more efficient, how to react less and be more in control. If you just give 10 minutes to an activity a day, work or workout, that is an extra 1hour 10 minutes a week. Watch where your habits are draining you. Life is a constant process of observation, reflection and improvement.
- Identify the source of problem and fix it: An extremely painful swollen knee, made me realize I can’t just numb the pain with icepacks, ointments & painkillers. I had to identify and fix the source of the problem. Fencing flared the existing problem, which was weak muscles of glutes, quads and tight hamstrings. Now I’m working to get stronger. Similarly, we have to identify source of problems in life. If it’s lack of time for something you want to do, then check your screen time and see which apps waste your time? If it’s weight loss, then did you count the indirect source of sugar in your diet?
- Develop Mental fortitude: “ If you quit once, it becomes a habit” – Michael Jordan. Sometimes I want to give up before finishing my lunges but only a fool stops before the finish line? Often, We quit not because of physical pain but due to lack of mental resolve. The body will not even try, if the mind says, “I’m tired.” GRIT or perseverance makes us better than our old self and develops mental fortitude in every area of life. Practice esp. when you don’t feel like.
- Talent is repeated hard work: “Genius too does nothing but learn first how to lay bricks then how to build, and continually seek for material and continually form itself around it”- Nietzsche
As a working mom, my biggest excuse was time, now I practice at 5.30 am. My second excuse was long term anemia, so now I train in small intervals of 20 minutes. Yet, If I have to do 15 repetitions and I fumble on 13th, I restart my rep. It teaches focus, resilience and to stay dedicated at every step of an activity, whether work or play. When Passion peaks out and motivation is hibernating, GRIT makes us win. Nietzsche suggests that we often give in to mediocre existence as we think the other person has innate talent, not realizing that the person might have worked every day for hours to hone them self. First, learn the basics, keep practicing to make it run like clockwork and then speed will get you ahead. Remember how we learned math multiplication tables? - Focus inculcates Speed and quick decision making. “Whatever the eyes see, the ears hear, the mind believes” -Harry Houdini
When your opponent distracts by waving blade but their footwork is ready to attack, you have to assess and move fast. Such is life we are distracted by what’s on the surface. Our attention span has gone down due to constant distractions, the urge to check phone, to be fascinated by superficiality, to compare and get depressed. On days I have too much mental chatter or stress, I perform bad. Fencing needs speed and ability to read the opponent, it boils down to focus, as mental noise or emotional distraction only leads to failure. Even though you are holding a weapon, you are not angry. You are cautious and calculated. Fencing is requires meditative presence and thinking on your feet. In fact life also requires the same. The only long-term plan is to be prepared- whether in sports or life. - Self accountability : “Habits are not finish lines to be crossed, they are a lifestyle to be lived” James Clear. Nobody will push you to learn something new or follow through. You have to do it for yourself, and you have to check your progress. Your life is your project, and nobody cares if you don’t succeed. So, be true to yourself and track your habits.
Share your life lessons from your sport or hobby , and tell me how is it going for you?
