Self-Control, The School of Sports

Self-Control helps us through our daily lives whether it is at work, at home or anything we do. Sports teaches us this without you realizing it from a young age. We learn many different things from sports and self-control will be the first one that I will go through in depth with it's relation to the thing we all know and love - sports.

Self- Control is one of the most admiral character traits that we see throughout our daily lives. It involves a lot of courage, humility and understanding of the harm our emotions can cause us. We learn this from a young age when we play sports, through the penalties and repercussions of our actions. Learning this quality from playing and viewing sports sets a good precedent for your life when you are faced with adversity to always control your emotions.

"Losing is only temporary and not encompassing. You must simply study it, learn from it, and try hard not to lose in the same way again. Then you must have the self-control to forget about it".

-John Wooden

Emotional Intelligence

Remember throwing your helmet after striking out? Talking back to your coach after not accepting the criticism? Thinking you're never going to improve after a bad play or a bad game? We've all been there while playing sports, that's why the stories we hear of players sticking to their dreams and going through adversity to reach their goals are so much more relatable and it's because of their emotional intelligence and compounding interest they have put in during times that we weren't following their story or watching them. Every time I hear one of these stories it is not only motivational but it makes me think of the emotional resilience that they went through to get to where they are at today. Every time they could have let their emotions get the best of them, they overcame these and let them know who was steering the ship. We can all learn from this because at times during the course of daily life there are times we want to give up when we need to keep going to accomplish our goals and dreams. Next time your in this situation, think of the troubles of our favorite success stories and how they persevered and conquered not only their obstacles but first their mind. The mind is where it all starts and ends, it can either make or break you. It brings us to some of the greatest heights but also to the greatest pits. If we are able to control our emotions and intelligence even during the bad times it can lead to a mountain greater than anything you ever thought was possible.

"The mind is where it all starts and ends, it can either make or break you".

Controlling Actions

The most important part of controlling our emotions is being aware and conscious of of our actions in related to our emotions. Throughout our lives we let our emotions lead our actions when we should be letting our actions be controlled by something bigger. The bigger things that our actions should be controlled by should be our vision, goals or anything that is much bigger than ourselves. It's important to always have a holistic view and big picture that is leading us. When we only look at the little part of our world it makes us get consumed and stuck in it when we are just a little part of not only the entire world but also the entire history of time itself. When we don't control our actions it often leads to worst consequences than if we just remained calm and composed ourselves to internally process and move forward with the best possible solution while still controlling our emotions in a stoic fashion. Not only will it make you feel better internally but it will let you show your strength and character externally as people will admire your way of handling the situation. When it comes to sports, there are times we see in games both big and small that a penalty will cost the team the game all from one action. It only takes one play and one player to make this happen, with numerous players on the field it's important they all work in unison and keep the team with their goal in mind with every action, even with emotions in a game telling them otherwise. We notice this most often in big or close games but we also see this in regular or blowout games that lead to suspensions and cost their team more than the action was worth in the first place. Remember this next time your emotions lead you to make an action that deep down you don't believe is the best option. Be proactive and not reactive.

Wrapping Up

Finishing up, the import aspect of our life that sports can teach us about self-control is everlasting and translates to so many other areas of our lives. Using emotional intelligence helps us decipher and reach our highest potential and goals overcoming any obstacle that might stand in the way. There are always things bigger than ourselves and remembering that through other people's journey's are important. We need to be patient and remember that none of us get places without going through hard times and controlling our emotions with control and hard work while watching it compound. Even when we look at stories of others that we believe have these opportunities are from luck when the truth is right in front of you. They worked harder behind the scenes that you will ever know and we only see the success and not the hard times. They controlled their emotions and stayed positive through the triumph having faith in not only themselves but in the goal they are trying to accomplish. Helping the actions they take match their emotions even when it is hard to do. Not letting the dark side of the mind win and staying strong. Making sure that we control our actions is essential as one action can ruin everything you are working toward.