Maya Angelou said, “If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.”
It is amazing how quotes like this can be used by any generation, no matter what is happening in our world. I especially think this state of mind can be applied to what we are seeing in our world today.
Many people are wanting to see some changes in their communities regarding race, relationships with police officers, etc. I personally work with patients who are wanting to get healthier and lose weight. These are all situations where people are not liking what they see, so they are trying to change it.
There are some things, however, that are not in our control. For example, you may come across people that do not share the same opinion as you. You cannot control what their opinion is or how they even got there, but what you can do is control your attitude towards them. Instead of automatically wanting to change their opinion, listen to what they have to say and change your attitude. This can go a long way when having conversations with other people who have different opinions than you because you can have civil conversations with one another and leave with positive attitudes.
This is also applicable to so many athletes who are finding themselves at a loss without being able to compete in their sport or being uncertain of what their future holds for their upcoming season. Unfortunately, this is not necessarily something that these athletes can control as far as when their competitions will return. However, they can control some things that they are doing personally by taking care of their bodies, washing their hands, fueling their body appropriately, and wearing a mask when social distancing is not possible.
The things that they cannot change, though, are where their attitude changes can certainly help. When athletes are told they can no longer practice with their team, some of them may have decided to take a break or not train anymore since they had no upcoming competitions. Trust me, I get it! It is hard to motivate yourself to train for something that you do not know when or if the competition will occur.
Here is where you can take back control.
Maybe you feel that rest and relaxation is actually just what the doctor ordered and would benefit your training. Maybe you feel that before you did not have enough time to enhance some of the skills that you have been wanting to work on. Maybe you can focus on improving your mental skills training. Maybe you can watch a lot of film of yourself playing or your opponents to learn about some other skills that you want to use in your own toolbox.
Instead of seeing this time as a regression in your skills or your ability to compete, how can you enhance your performance?
If you can’t change it, change your attitude.
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