In 2020, when we were all keeping distance from each other, I found a new hobby: tennis.
At first, I started playing just to get some exercise, but soon I learned it was much more than that. It was like meditation. I’ve played soccer all my life where I could easily stop thinking and just play.
Tennis was different at first, I would actually do the opposite: I’d think too much, and barely play.
Fortunately that has changed, I started to understand the game more, and I now let go more easily of my thoughts. I focus more on “finding the ball”, which allows me to see more clearly where the ball will go, and where I need to be to make clean shots. Timing, and mobility is something I’m still working on and probably will for as long as I play.
Winning at tennis requires being consistent. When I began, I tried to hit winners all the time. I quickly learned that this made me make a lot of mistakes, like hitting the ball too far or into the net.
I’m more consistent now and can hold longer rallies, as I’m able to identify when to attack, defend or have a neutral predisposition to the point, however, most of my mistakes happens when I’m in a high pressure situation during a game, because I tend to rush and play too aggressively, which makes me mess up more. If you have played tennis you probably have experienced this on a wide ball that you have to save on the run.
To really do well in tennis, you have to make few mistakes, and your opponent will always try to make it tough for you. That’s what makes the game interesting.
I like to figure things out, and I’m good at remembering my mistakes when the game is over, without feeling upset about them, I think about how I can do better next time.
To give myself a chance to pass the ball across the court, one more time, I’ve found that I need to be quick but not aggressive, and my mind needs to stay calm so I can react without emotional pressure, even when the game gets intense.
So, how do I handle this? I’ve noticed that the same thing happens in life. When there’s a problem, I want to fix it right away. But rushing can lead to mistakes.
Now I know that stepping back and thinking about the problem calmly helps me make the best decisions.
My plan is simple: notice what went wrong, think about how to fix it when I’m not playing, and remember potential solutions when I’m in a game. It sounds easy, but it’s actually hard.
This leads me to the most important point of this post: Being consistent means always thinking about what went wrong, figuring out how to improve, and keeping up with what works. Consistency is a requirement to be succesful, in tennis and in life.
Loving my mistakes as lessons helps me get better. It’s all about noticing them first, and then more importantly learning from them.