I was recently playing a puzzle on my iPhone and I suddenly noticed my score had become quite high, but instead of continuing in the carefree manner I had played to that point, I stated to become more thoughtful and considerate about my game. Needless to say, within a few moves I had blown it.
It’s an issue many sportspeople and even artists have: they start to overthink what they do to a point that they lose the fluidity of their game and start to engage the mind instead of their natural ‘flow’. And it can happen to us all at points in our lives.
I’ve always flown by the seat of my pants in life, blindly going into things with little experience (if any) but with a sack load of enthusiasm. However, the moment things become difficult, that’s when I can become less carefree and more considerate, and in doing so, I lose that ‘mojo’ of insouciance and allow anxiety and doubt to take control.
Age has taught me to relax more and allow things to realign naturally, but it can still be a struggle to keep the faith when it seems all around is falling into disarray. Trying to regain faith in our abilities and allow the natural change of time to pass organically is something that I’m getting better at, but it is very much a work in progress.
As I’ve said before, we learn little from success, so it’s the hard times that test our resolve most. They’re a great mirror for us to see how well we’re adapting to life’s changes and give us the opportunity to trust or topple. Good luck with yours.