Enjoying what you do

P. RAGHU NANDAN

Rajan had played a string of low scoring matches; he was going through, what in sports is termed as a slump. No matter what he did, the runs were not there. He was a sound player and his coach liked his technique and application. He did not feel good about himself. I told him, "You make the runs; the runs don't make you". This was not easy for him; he had identified completely with his performance that his self-worth was based upon how much he scored. This happens to all of us, young or old. We see ourselves through our successes. When we fail or do not perform up to our expectations our self-esteem takes a beating.

We work towards goals, or points of aspiration set by ourselves or by somebody else and hope these will be realised. In a lot of cases they do not get realised, life like cricket takes its twists and turns. So we need to make allowances for these and learn to handle the ups and downs.

As a school cricketer, Rajan had performed well. Two years ago he had joined college and he was playing miserable cricket. He was struggling to make runs in the league matches too. I asked him how he played cricket when he was in Std. VIII. Did he not enjoy the game? He agreed that that was how he played them. "What has changed?" I asked. He replied, "I have moved to a senior level, so I have to get serious".

"Good Lord! That is the fundamental problem; you have become serious. Who asked you to become serious? Is there a clause in the cricketing rule book, that you have to become serious?" Sheepishly he replied, "No one asked me to become serious, I decided to become serious." I explained to him that his method of being serious caused tension, removed the joy from his game and his life. What was required was that he takes his game seriously, meaning not fool around and be casual; he did not have to be serious. He saw the difference between the two; he smiled in relief.

When joy goes out of a game it is not worth it any more. In fact when it goes out of anything, the tasks cannot be done happily but they become dreadful chores to be gone through. This boy's cricket had become a boring - a heavy task; he was just going through the motions of playing cricket. His mind and heart were not there.

There are lessons to be had here. The first and most important lesson, "I make the runs, the runs don't make me". Make a poster and hang it up so that you are reminded of it everyday. Change the words according to your area of interest. Your life is larger than the score or the result of one match. The second lesson is, relax, laugh, and bring the joy back to your life.

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