The world has paused. The Earth keeps spinning, but our everyday lives have stopped. I don’t really know how many situations like these we’ll face in our lives, but something tells me: “not many”.
It is not yet another post about epidemic. Neither it is an analysis of the world current situation. It is simply a reflection after over a week spent in this new, temporary reality that we all happen to live in currently. A reflection that might be worth sharing.
You see, every single person is on a road in his or her life. For each one of us the first stage of that road starts at a random place. At the very beginning we travel that road on somebody’s shoulders. Then we climb down and we start walking being guided by someone’s hand. Later there is just a light shed on the road ahead of us. At last, we are told that it is the highest time to choose our path to walk on our very own. Only then we start to truly realize that we are on the road. And that the first stage of that road has just come to an end.
End of that first stage is one of few moments in life when we have a chance to, more or less consciously, freely and safely, choose the path we’ll walk on in our life. Once we are on it, we start being pulled in by a whirl of life. Being caught up in it, rarely we stop to think about where we come from and where we are actually heading to. There is often no time for a break or a pause to catch our breath. It is a whirl that never stops on its own and the one that is impossible to halt with our very own hands. However, the world is unpredictable and sometimes it plays with us. Recently the world decided to call a timeout.
In a situation we all have found ourselves these days, whether we want it or not, we have to pause for a bit. It is a good opportunity for us to stop and look at our lives from a more distant perspective – in both directions. And to reflect.
First of all, it is worth to look behind us first. To think about where we started. How far have we already gotten. To see where we stand today. What goals we have accomplished. To stop. To say to ourselves: good job. You did it. You’ve come so far. To appreciate our efforts. To express gratitude
Then, to look into our future and decide – consciously and patiently, maybe for just a second (or maybe even first) time in our entire life: where do I want to go next? Which path do I choose? What goals do I set? What do I want to accomplish? Because in life, just like in sports, we always need to have a goal. But it is not a goal that is the most important – it only shows us a direction in which to go. It is worth asking ourselves: what road do I want to take to realize the goal? Because it is the road that is the most important thing. The road and everything on it. People we meet. Places we visit. Moments possible to experience only there. The goal is just a cherry on top of that all.
Current situation is not easy. For many of us it means uncertain future. Jim Carrey used to say that life doesn’t happen to us, it happens for us. He also said that despite often saying that he really doesn’t know if that’s true. He said that he is just making a conscious choice to perceive challenges as something beneficial so that he can deal with them in most beneficial, productive way.
And since I have already mentioned Jim Carrey – he once told a story about his father which I believe is worth sharing here. You might have even heard it before.
Jim Carrey said about his father that he could have been a great comedian, but he didn’t believe that that was possible for him. And so his father made a conservative choice – instead of trying to become a comedian he got a safe job as an accountant. And when Jim was 12 years old, his father was let go from that safe job. And their family had to do whatever they could to survive. Jim summarized that story with words:
„So many of us choose our path out of fear disguised as practicality. What we really want seems impossibly out of reach and ridiculous to expect so we never dare to ask the Universe for it”
He then added that out of many great lessons he had learned from his father, not the least important one was that if we can fail at life doing what we don’t want, we might as well take a chance on doing what we love.
Why do I even write about it? – you might ask. Well, I do it because that is how we operate – both in our own private lives, as well as at creating Road to Sport. We have chosen our path a long time ago. Our road is a sport. And sometimes we just need a reminder that even though it is not always an easy path – it is the one that will always be worth taking.
It doesn’t mean that we know exactly how our path will go. We only believe that, as Jim once said, it is just about letting the Universe know what we want and working toward it while letting go of how it comes to pass. Our job is not to figure out how it’s gonna happen for us, but to open a door in our heads and when the door opens in real life just walk through it.
Because, you see, sport is, and always has been, a road of hard work, sacrifices and challenges. But it is also a road of dreams, fantastic journeys, unforgettable experiences and – most importantly – great people. And these are the only values that truly matter in life.