It's All A Mind Game

I was never a gifted rugby player.....I was a gifted sprinter, yes.....but a gifted rugby player I was not. Now at the age of 38 and after having under gone a PCL surgery, I am no longer a gifted sprinter.....and I am still not a gifted rugby player. I am proud of all my rugby achievements no doubt. As a not gifted rugby player, I never imagined that I’d accomplish all those things I did in my 15 years as a competitive rugby player.

How did I accomplish those things?

Here’s my secret.....

Well.....I only discovered long after I quit competitive rugby that it was my mind that got me there.....and of course, ultimately, God Almighty’s blessing that had allowed the whole thing to manifest.

Why the mind?

I always knew I was not a gifted rugby player, so I knew I had to work hard. The skills did not come naturally to me.....I had to imagine it first. I saw how easy it was for some people to acquire a skill, but not in my case. I would normally begin by imagining what I'd like to do, then I’d try to visualize it, and then trying it on my own.......Finally, after feeling a bit comfortable, I’d try the skill during practice. Lots of practice, lots of visualising.....and that was just the beginning.

The ultimate mind game?

.....Even today I can’t believe some of the tricks I pulled during a match. And I believe my mind played a big role in helping me making the split second decision, and enabling me to move and run and allowing me to execute the skills.

.....Ultimately, this was how I did it. It began to really develop when I was playing for the US Naval Academy team. We normally played on Saturday and the night before the game I would only be thinking about the match and pretty much nothing else. I would prepare my boots (cleats) and all my game attire well in advance. Slowly, the thought about the game would become really intense that I’d normally find it hard to sleep just from the sheer thought of wanting to perform well in the upcoming match. I’d rehearse in my mind what I’d want to do when I get the ball, I’d visualize how I’d beat the opponent and I’d have a clear picture in my mind how I’d perform certain skills. As a result, I normally fell asleep in the wee hour well past midnite, fully immersed in these rugby thoughts. The act of imagining and visualising would continue leading to the game and as the game became nearer, the thoughts intensified. I would normally eat very little as I had little appetite. This subconscious ritual continued on till the end of my active rugby career. Inevitably, this process came with a terrible side effect…..I would also be subjected to a terrible amount of stress, which on certain occasions, subsequently caused me to…..throw up!!!. It didn’t occur that often but the uncontrollable stomach reflex was plain for everyone to see. But the whole thing would just go away once I stepped into a match…..and I’d have 110% concentration in doing my best.

And the result?

It was mind boggling.....I was amazed by what I could do in a game…..some of my team mates called it magic.....I didn’t know what it was back then.....but I surely enjoyed it. I believe God gave us a very powerful tool.....our mind. And I am glad it helped me to realise my rugby dreams.

And to sum it up......

I think this aspect of the mind can be used in a lot of things that we do in our daily lives. When we want something….. we must work hard to get it, we must truly believe that we are capabled of doing it, we must put our mind into it, we must visualise the results that we want.....after all that, we must have faith in ourselves and in God’s will. The beauty of it all.....no matter what the outcome turns out to be.....we can live with it, and we can live to accept it.

Folks, It’s all in the MIND.....it’s truly God’s most precious gift to us.  And we can accomplish wonders if we put our mind into it.....
InsyaAllah.