Last month, me and my dad got some tickets to a sold out game at Edgbaston Cricket Ground – my neighbour couldn’t go, so we took his place. We normally go to test cricket (the one that lasts 5 days…and there still can be a draw!), but this was a 20/20 game – quick, frantic and lots of fun.
At the test, you have time to just sit back and relax, read the newspaper, watch the crowd…and drink. At twenty twenty, you miss stuff if you do that! So, for this week’s article I thought I’d share a few lessons I learnt from the cricket match.
Trust your instincts.
My neighbour is not well, and he was concerned that he wouldn’t be able to get to his seat in the stadium. While we were more than happy to take the tickets off his hands, we also tried to convince him to go. He trusted his instincts though, and didn’t go – and it’s a good job, because there were nearly 100 steps to negotiate…he couldn’t have done it. When something feels ‘off’, trust that, trust your instincts and do what’s right for you (and your neighbours, who will enjoy the cricket on your behalf!)
Fortunes can change in a moment
In any sport, things can change in an instant…and in cricket wins or losses can happen in one delivery. With one ball left at the end of the game, either team could have still have won. (exciting game!) Remember that you don’t know what can happen – things can turn around at any moment. So, if things are not going the way you want right now, know that your fortunes can change in a moment!
Try something new.
I’ve been going to the cricket with my dad for years, but we always go to test cricket. If there’s no test at Edgbaston, we do something else that year. My Dad was never interested in going to one-day internationals or 20/20 internationals…but now we’ve tried it, I suspect we’ll go again. I definitely will, it was lots of fun. Maybe we were lucky with the weather and the match (it was glorious weather and a competitive game), but I am so glad we tried something new, because I thoroughly enjoyed it.
It’s your choice whether you enjoy it or not.
There was a point when India were batting that it looked as if they would beat England soundly. At this point, the England supporters around me started to grumble and mutter and get pessimistic. “That’s it, we’ve lost this”. I thought they would probably lose before I even got to the game, but I was going to enjoy it anyway…and when fortunes changed and England were back in the (possible) winning position, I noticed that the Indian supporters were still enjoying it. Whether they had more confidence in their team than England supporters (entirely possible), or whether they just, like me, wanted to enjoy it whatever happened. It’s a choice you make. And if the sun’s shining, the entertainment is great, and the company good…that’s enough, win or lose. And even if it’s raining, the entertainment’s not great and the company ordinary…make a choice to enjoy it (life) anyway!
Trust your team
The Indian captain turned down chances to score runs because he wanted to keep the strike and play the ball himself – if they’d taken 1 run, his teammate would have been in to bat. If they’d taken those runs, they’d probably have won the game (they lost by 3 runs!). Sometimes you’ve got to trust that other people can do it and delegate…or let them help.
Back yourself
On the other hand, I admire MS Dhoni’s confidence in himself. It was probably the right call, he was the man who could have won the game for India. That he didn’t means people like me question his decision! But that guy believes in himself 100%. Probably more. He’s known to be very arrogant…but he’s also one of the best players in the world. Sometimes you’ve just got to believe that you’re the best man or woman for the job, no matter what the consequences. I haven’t seen MS Dhoni’s reaction, but I suspect he still backs himself now, even if it didn’t work out this time. 9 times out of 10, it would have worked out…and that’s the level of confidence you want to have in yourself – even if it goes tits up, you still stand by your decisions and back yourself fully.
Keep playing right to the end
As I mentioned, either team could have won this game…and on at least 4 occasions during the match, one team looked odds on to win, and therefore the other looked almost certain to lose. But even when staring likely defeat in the face, neither team stopped playing; neither team gave up; even as wickets were falling (which means it’s going badly for the batting side), the players kept giving their best. Which explains why I love sport (watching it, not playing it – I’m crap at sport) – the determination, tenacity, belief, and persistence shown by people in losing situations…who then go on to win (or lose!) I love competitive games of sport, because they bring the best out in sportspeople. So stay in the game, even if it looks like you’re losing – it’s not over until the final ball is bowled (or pitched, or served) so stay in the game til the end and keep giving your best…you might just win.
Rivals can be friends too
The crowd was 80% Indian supporters, and they created an awesome atmosphere. Every good shot, catch, good ball was greeted with massive cheers. And at the cricket, we’re not segregated, we’re all in together. So as the England fans were cheering, Indian fans had their heads in their hands and vice versa. There was an Indian guy in front of us who had great banter with the England supporter next to him, and at the end, took a moment to shake his hand and congratulate him on England’s win. I like that. I like that we can want different outcomes, and still be friendly with each other no matter what happens. If you’re competing with anyone else, take the time to be friends with them too!
Be aware of the recovery time you need
I have energy issues. If I go to something like a day at the cricket, the next day, I am totally wiped out. I had sort of thought about this, but because I’ve got a lot to do, I didn’t really plan for it – I just hoped for the best and thought ‘oh I can do x, y and z’. Then I was irritated with myself that I couldn’t keep my eyes open on Monday afternoon, never mind complete my to-do list. It’s a lesson I have to learn over and over and over again. If you know that you need recovery time, give yourself MORE than you need, not less – then if you feel great, you will be doing more than you expect, instead of beating yourself up for doing less.
Do stuff you love to do
I really enjoy going to international cricket matches. I never thought I would – many moons ago, my dad had a spare ticket and bribed me into going by saying there was a bar and he was buying…and I really enjoyed it – not just the drinking day out, but the sport too. So since then, we try to go every year. Last year for the first time we saw no cricket at all thanks to the rain. This year, we wouldn’t have gone if we hadn’t had someone else’s tickets. And we loved it. Some quality father/daughter time doing something we both enjoy (our interests don’t coincide much). That’s what life is for – enjoying the things you love to do. Every month, every week, every day, take some time to do something you love to do.
Lessons can be learned anywhere you go, at any event, on any day…if you take the time to notice them! What have you done recently that you can notice the lessons from? And what have you learned? Leave me a comment and let me know.
Love
Donna.x