By: Vinod Balan
The importance of knowing your strengths and weaknesses
I used to play a lot of football/soccer as a kid. Most kids were obsessed with playing in the forward position because as a forward player you get more opportunities to score goals, and scoring goals gave those kids a huge satisfaction.
But, in my case, I was not very keen on scoring goals and I liked playing as a winger (attacking midfielder). Midfielders are responsible for laying the path for forward players to score a goal, and I really loved this challenge.
The other reason why I played in this position was that I could run really fast, which is an important quality for a winger. I was not very strong as some of my friends. Strength is important to a certain extent to play in other positions as you may have to regularly take on opposing team players.
I realized my weakness and decided to utilize my strength which is running quickly. Though I was not as strong as my friends, I had much better stamina and I could run for the whole day.
The fear factor was also one of the reasons because of which I started playing as a winger. As a defender or goalkeeper, you are held responsible for conceding a goal. As a forward player, you are held responsible for missing out on a goal. This instilled a little amount of fear in me and influenced my decision to play as a winger.
After growing up, I realized that there are challenges playing in every position, yet I continued playing as a winger. This is because I enjoy playing like this and it gives me a sense of the fact that this is who I am, and I do not want to deviate from this.
The reason why we try to be someone else
But it hasn’t always been easy. There were times when I got deviated and distracted. This happens when your mind gets tempted. Some of my friends who played at the forward position scored more goals as they got more opportunities to do so. Whenever they scored goals, they were appreciated and cheered by everyone. I got fascinated seeing all these and wanted those cheers and applauds for myself.
There have been times when some of my friends had scored one goal but missed out on scoring many other goals which were on target. But they were applauded, and people kept speaking about that one goal for the entire day. I thought it was unfair because I strongly felt that other players work hard too, but at the end of the day, all that matters to the audience are the goals.
In my attempt to get those applauds, I tried to play as a forward player a couple of times but failed miserably. The other reason why I tried to play like this was that I wanted to prove others wrong who felt that I am not capable of scoring goals and even mocked me for it.
Defenders and midfielders play a key role in every match, but it’s the forward players who are showered with praises as they are the ones who score goals most often. It can be difficult for an aspiring defender or a mid-field player to digest this as they are the ones who lay the path for the forward players and make it easy for them to score a goal. If they try to switch and play as forward players because of the external factors like garnering praise or to prove someone wrong, it will most likely result in failure.
The consequences of trying to be someone else
The day you try to become someone else, you lose your identity and your purpose in life. Most of the times we try to live like someone else based on false assumptions.
You may find the other person’s way of living to be more conventional and our society also tells us that it’s the right thing to do and will appreciate you if you follow the same. And the other reason why you try to change yourself is that you want to prove a point to someone. If you are trying to become an athlete and if someone says that it’s all about physical effort and you don’t have the intellect to become a writer, then in a fit of rage if you quit sports field to become a writer only to prove that person wrong, it would be utter foolishness.
Always remember this saying, “Everybody is a genius, but if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”
When others find you to be stupid, trust me, it is much better than you feel the same about yourself.
Make your happiness a priority
Not just in your professional life, this can be applied to your personal life as well. Most of us have an inferiority complex when it comes to our physique, complexion, hairstyle, dressing sense etc. Not just the way we look, but we also tend to have an inferior feeling with respect to our caste, religion, nativity etc. We need to be proud of who we are and what we believe in and also respect others for what they are and what they believe in.
If you are dark-skinned or short or bald then you need to just accept it, embrace it and be proud of it. If you hail from an underdeveloped state or nation then there is nothing to be embarrassed about it. Let people mock you.
But if you are going to hide your identity or lie about it, then no matter what, you will never feel good about it. We try to satisfy those who do not play any significant role in our progress in life, and in doing so; we end up losing our happiness.
Unforeseen circumstances are temporary
There might be certain rare scenarios where we may have to change some of our thoughts and beliefs. Certain situations may demand us to do something that we are not passionate about or something that we don’t believe in.
Dressing is about freedom of expression, and people judging you based on your dressing style and fashion sense shouldn’t affect you in any way. However, when it comes to the workplace if there is a formal dress code in place then we may have to adhere to it.
You could be passionate about something which is unconventional but you may be forced to take up a regular job for some time because of an unexpected financial crunch or medical emergency in the family. Players in a football team have to play aggressively and try scoring as many goals as possible.
But, if the team is leading by a goal and if there is just one minute left in the match, then they need to play sensibly by just passing the ball among themselves and make sure that the opposition doesn’t get the ball till the match time completes. This is the right strategy considering the situation but the same strategy cannot be applied throughout the match where the focus should be on scoring goals.
Always remember that such scenarios are temporary and not permanent. And, once things get back to normal, we can return to becoming our original self.
The fear factor
Initially, as a kid, it was the fear of conceding a goal or missing out on opportunities to score a goal that made me take up the winger position. The fear factor helped me realize my real strength and explore a new dimension in my playing ability. Sometimes, having fear could be a good thing. You start thinking more and understand new things about yourself which you were not aware of earlier.
It makes you plan things in an organized manner, it makes sure that you are not overconfident about something, and more importantly, the fear of losing will always make sure that you remain humble and grounded. Being nervous about something is absolutely fine. Just make sure that the fear does not get the better of you.
Let’s focus on achieving our goals
The main purpose of a football player is not just scoring goals but to make sure that his team wins. A forward player may score more goals but the other players also equally contribute to a team’s victory.
We should focus more on the process and not the end result. If we get the process right then the output will always be good.
Laying the foundation for scoring a goal is the most significant part. If this is executed properly then a goal will be scored most definitely. Defenders and mid-field players instead of being dejected for not being able to score goals should be proud of themselves for laying the foundation successfully for the forward players to score goals which result in their team’s victory.
We should know what our goal in life is, and try our best to achieve that. We should not waste our life by trying to live like someone else and by trying to achieve their goals. The day we realize this, it would be our biggest accomplishment in life.
About Vinod Balan
I had worked in the Software field for about five years. I quit my software job in the year 2018 and decided to pursue my passion for sports and writing. I, along with some of my friends, started a Sports based NGO (non-profit organization) named Play2Discover. Through our NGO, we have been supporting underprivileged kids to excel in their sporting activities.
Along with sports training we have also been providing life-skill sessions to help them deal with the problems that they face in their lives. We have also been supporting kids to fulfill their academic requirements as we believe in the right balance of sports and education.
I am also a freelance writer. I have created a blog for our NGO, and I have written a few posts on sports life-skill sessions. I have also written articles on a few sites that focus mainly on sports life-skill sessions and general/social issues. I have also been writing motivational speeches for my clients on freelancing platforms.
Social media links (links open in a new tab)
Link to Buy Play2Discover: Improving Lives Through Sports by Vinod Balan
Link to Buy The Wheel Breaker by Vinod Balan
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