Success vs. Joy
- LXIX -
Eliminate 'IF'
People tend to repeatedly question the roles they are playing. One could ask – “Was I born to be a cricketer? Would I have been a better player if I had taken up golf or tennis instead?” In my opinion, to ask such hypothetical and speculative questions is a complete waste.
Remove the word ‘if’ from your dictionary. For me, ‘if’ is an irrelevant word. It dissipates my energy, drains me emotionally and transports me to a forgotten past or an uncertain future.
When I am playing I need to concentrate. Sometimes I need to punch into my mental computer and ask, “What are my chances of executing this shot perfectly?”
My years of involvement and practice help me compute whether I have a 99.9 percent chance or a 45 percent chance. If the figure is below 60 percent, I know I should not attempt the shot. However, at times, even when I know I have just a 60 percent chance of getting a shot right, I go for it because I am playing well and can afford to take the risk. But I never speculate about what would happen if I fail. That would be a wasteful exercise. And worse, it would distract me and lower the percentage of the success of the shot. At such a moment, I cannot afford to think. So I just play. My world would not collapse if I failed.
‘If’ is the most dangerous word in my dictionary. I have very consciously kept it out of my life. ‘If’ is the demon, which appears when you need to have your eye on the ball the most.