As far I can remember, for as long as I have been a watcher of football I have supported Manchester City. Before they started their most recent run of winning titles, before they became what some people now say is a team only made from money, through the time when they found themselves down in League One. There are those who have been supporting the team many more years than I, through far more dire times, but we’re all CTID, “City ’til I Die.”
This morning I was watching their (City’s) most recent premier league game and they were totally out-thought and out-strategised by a team that on paper would have been deemed the underdog. City had more shots and more possession, but their opposition ended up winning deservedly. No matter what team we support, no matter what sport they play, no matter how much of a favourite they are to win, there will always be days when we and the team we support come away wondering “How did that happen?”
This got me thinking about some days we all have. Days when we feel unmotivated, unable to achieve anything, and helpless to change it. I thought back to the Blackcaps losing the world cup on a technicality after playing almost the inch perfect game. I thought about the times my depression cloaks me in darkness, and I feel physically unable to get out of bed. I thought about the feeling of impending doom when speeches were the next day at school. For each of us, the things that prompt these days will be different.
It is easy for us to succeed on good days. It is easy for us to be productive, to communicate effectively, it is easy to be. It’s not so important how productive we are on these days because we will keep doing things. What is important is how well we push through the tough days and bounce back from them. Life is not easy all the time. Heck, life is downright difficult at times. Hold onto the light, however small the sliver may be. You had a hand in creating it, and there is the possibility of much more where it came from.
Two games previous to their unexpected loss Manchester City won 8-0. The winning of that game is all but forgotten with the most recent loss. The Blackcaps played a magnificent final at the cricket world cup after no one expected them to even make it to the final. Pain remains over what almost was but every New Zealand player played with spirit and grace. On days my bed seems the only safe to be I can’t remember the days getting out of bed is easy, even though they are more numerous. Speaking at school was nerve-wracking, mostly because I was talking about things I thought unimportant trivial or topics I didn’t fully believe in or understand. Provide a meaningful topic and access to good information today and more often than not I will enjoy public speaking, feeling empowered to encourage the audience I’m speaking to.
In a world where the negative is prioritised and we’re encouraged to believe something is “wrong” and needs to be fixed, it is tough to break out of this mould and think differently. We may not do everything we want to from our to-do lists every day, but what we will do has value. Remember success comes in many forms, not just the societally obvious ones of earning money, being a “better” job, owning a house, or upgrading to the next new piece of technology. Time playing boardgames with family, a walk in the forest with your dog, cooking a tasty dinner with for house mates, writing that new song or story, these can all be success.
Find your light. Nurture it. Share it with others on their tough days. Seek whatever builds you and those around you up. Do this, and together we will make the world a brighter place.
Be good, keep good, and sleep good dear readers. Peace.
Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels
Hard lines, heavy times, and handblocks 