Whether you win or lose in sport, the game of life does not stop. Winning and losing are like events. Events come and go.
The Olympic badminton semi finals matches come and go every four years.
The key is to detach yourself from the output and re-focus on the outcome. The outcome from an event is always what you learned from it and how it can help you play the game better.
You are not the event
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravishankar says you are much bigger and grander than the win or loss, profit or loss. Your potential is immense, immeasurable. Do not gauge yourself by what you achieve or fail. Keep moving on, learning, growing, becoming wiser. That is the GOAL of life. What do you say?
Olympic Badminton: Fight for gold
In one of the badminton semi finals matches of the Tokyo Olympics 2020, PV Sindhu played Tai Tzu Ying; Tai won in straight sets and went through to the finals. Sindhu and her hopes for gold on that day were lost - not just for her and her parents but for all her fans across the world. The event for that day was over.
She put the loss behind her, fought and won (and had to settle) the bronze medal on another day, in another event. The experience and learning from the new event went alongside the old event.
In the finals, Tai lost. Ordinarily, you are not considerate of the person who eliminated your Olympic dream run, but Sindhu was different.
Aggression vs compassion
Sindhu has been practicing yogic practices and has developed a mature mindset, which gives her the courage to leave the past where it belongs. She was there to offer solace and support to Tai after her loss in the finals. With this single act of compassion, she transformed an opponent into a friend for life. Hopefully, the chain reaction will continue. One more event on another day.
Many will emulate Sindhu; she is their role model. Not just badminton, but all sports will benefit from this gesture. On the field you must be a fighter 100 percent of the time and play the game - hard but fair. Off the field, you are still a human being and live with human values - 100 percent. Compassion, peace, and joy are your nature, and you are here to live and exude them as well.
How do you live each day? What do you do when you win on a day? What do you do when you lose on some other day? I would encourage you to take up breathing exercises like Sudarshan kriya to strengthen your mental health as Sindhu does, alongside the physical exercises, to strengthen your skills and body.
Simone Biles listened to her heart, took a break, took care of her mental health and is back doing what she loves best.
You too can listen to your heart.
Be a sport.
The game is ON!
Written by: Dhaval Sharma
He is a technology enthusiast, exploring the art of living, qualified mechanical engineer in software career. He loves to express life via writing and videos. Born in North India, brought up in South India, graduated and started career in central India. Lucky to learn sudarshan kriya in bangalore, now practicing and teaching the same.
https://www.instagram.com/dhyanse/
A little note: As community conversation facilitators, we believe in giving an individual the autonomy of expression. The views expressed in this piece are the author's own.
