WHO'S WORLD OF FANTASY WILL YOU DIVE INTO NEXT?

Dear Athlete,

Competitions are one of those times in your career that can really affect how you view yourself…and at times, your perception of self worth.

I’m not writing to you asking you not to take them seriously; rather, to think about them in a less self-damaging way…especially if things do not go exactly to plan.

There are 2 sides to this coin:

1. Outcome – this is where we compare ourselves to others, and a pillar that competition is built on. The objective is to beat your opponent and emerge victorious.

2. Performance – this is where we compare ourselves to our (previous) selves. Have you performed better than you did last time? Is our best better than our previous best?

Keep this in mind: if you do beat your opponents but fail to be better than you were last time, you’d have won the battle but lost the war. The ultimate competition is, after all, against ourselves.

June 23rd is the annual Olympic Day, and an Olympian is one who has attained their highest state of body, mind and soul. So as much as the goal is to emerge top, I would encourage you to do so by also competing against yourself to become better than you’ve ever been. You should be able to look back and say that under the circumstances, you couldn’t have done better.

Now, before I finish, let me draw your attention to 2 things:

1. Non-controllable factor – these are things that could affect our performance but we have no control over them. Example: weather elements, terrain, equipment (to a certain extent)………

2. Controllable factor – these are those that could affect our performance and we can control them. Example: effort, skill level, consistency……..

Whatever the outcome, focus on the controllable factors as those can be worked on for improvement. Non-controllable factors just serve to infuriate us, nothing more.

I wish you the best of luck in the 10th All Africa University (FASU) Games, and I am honoured to have served you as an instructor during your hydrotherapy sessions.

VIVRE LES SPORTS!

(You can always reach me via email josemariambui@gmail.com or phone +254707047249)