There is an old proverb that says, "Life is 10% what you do and 90% how you react to what happens to you." I'm not sure those number are totally correct, but for the most part the idea behind it is correct. Most of our lives have to do with reacting to things that happen to us, instead of us making things happen.
With that said, it's important for us to focus on the things we can control, and NOT worry about the things we cannot control. Guys, this is the key to success - and at the same time if you don't do this, it's the key to a miserable life.
I've seen so many people develop serious stress problems that lead to depression and other serious mental problems because they focus on things they cannot control... They try to control these things, but obviously it doesn't work (because it's not possible) and they become frustrated and disappointed so they decided to either quit everything (which is not a good option) or they try to work harder (also not a good option) which then leads them to more frustration and disappointments. I do not want any of us to go down this path.
The other option is for us to focus on the things we can actually do something about and not waste energy with the things that are out of our control. This is a much better option because we can focus all our energy on things that will actually get us some results.
So the million dollar question is, what are the things that we can control, and what are the things we cannot control? If we can figure this out, we'll know what to focus on so that we don't waste our energy (emotionally and physically) and become frustrated and disappointed.
So here is a list of things we cannot control.
What people say (or think) about us.
The other team. Their size, their age, their speed, their basketball skills, etc.
The scoreboard. This is out of our control, because it will depend on how our opponent plays, and as mentioned already that is also out of our control.
Winning and Losing. This is out of our control because it will depend on the scoreboard, and as mentioned above, that is also out of our control.
Thus, we should not focus on these things. If you focus on this you will be miserable.
Now here is a list of things we CAN control.
Our effort and intensity. Regardless of your size, age, or ability all of us CAN control how hard we try. We can choose to give 100% of our abilities. Notice I'm talking about percentage, not number. I will not ask you to run 13km/h because some of us cannot reach that speed, but all of us can run at 100% of our speed (meaning your personal maximum speed)
Our attitude. Did you know that you can actually control your attitude and even your feelings?! yes, because you can choose your thoughts, and your thoughts control your attitude and your attitude controls your emotions. With that said we can control our attitudes on the court to be positive and respectful towards our teammates, coaches, opponents and authorities (refs).
Making decisions. We can choose who will we pass the ball to. We can choose to shoot, or pass, or dribble. We can choose to run or not to run. We can choose to quit or persevere. We can choose to complaint or to let it go. And all of these decisions will make a difference to the outcome of our team.
These are the things we CAN control. Thus, this is what we should focus on.
Now also here is list of things you should do if you want to honor God and your family, your school and your team...
Play hard.
Have a positive attitude, respect the refs, your team and your opponent.
Make good decisions. Take some chances and own your mistakes.
Now also here is list of things you should do if you want to win a game....
Play hard.
Have a positive attitude, respect the refs, your team and your opponent.
Make good decisions. Take some chances and own your mistakes.
And here is another list of things you need to do if you want to be successful in life...
Work hard.
Have a positive attitude, respect the authorities and those around you.
Make good decisions. Take some chances and own your mistakes.
Notice that the four lists are the same! But remember, we are not doing these things just to win, for that is out of our control and we cannot focus on that. Winning is just a consequence. We should do these things because God commands us to do so, and by doing this we bring honor to Him, to our families and to our school - and THAT is success.
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