Every player has a range; one day you can play at one level and the very next day or later the same day, you can play at a very different level. Not realizing this can lead to much pain and frustration.
Why this range exists can be discussed another day, but for today, I just want us to be clear that such a range does in fact exist.
Look at your own game. Do you play the same every time you step out on the court? Obviously not, and yet our behavior suggests otherwise.
Even worse, we identify with just the top of our range many times, consistently denying the lower part of our range as if it is an aberration. We expect to play our ‘best’ tennis every time we play, not realizing that our ‘best’ only happens when it happens and it certainly does not happen often. In fact how often does it really happen?
Consequently, when you play up and beat someone, it does not mean you are better than that person. Similarly a loss does not mean you are worse than that person.
Every match is a moment in time. Once the moment is over it is over and the next time you play, the result may be very different.
The reality is that we don’t have control over the type of tennis we play. It would be nice if we did, certainly less frustrating, but we don’t. If we did, why would we ever choose to play anything but our best?
And yet there is this illusion that we do have control and the battle between the mind and the body continues.
When we realize that we have very little control, we will take less credit for the wins or great play (because if we have no control who is to take the credit?) and less blame for the losses or poor play.
But the big issue is to explore the issue of control. Do you have control over the way you play?
Stay with this question for some time and delve deep and see what comes up. If you answer any question of this nature too quickly, you are bound to come up with the wrong answer, so please be with the question and let it float around your head for a bit.
love, peace and chaos,
enjoy the journey………..