We’ve all been blown away by the triumph of young Nick Kyrgios against Rafael Nadal. The unexpected victory has captured the attention of Australia and restores our belief that we are the best sporting nation on the planet, nay the entire universe.
Going into the match, Nick was irked by his mother who told him that she believed Nadal would be too good for Kyrgios to beat. His attitude was that he had to believe he could win in order to win.
A different person in the same situation would have heard their mother’s words and thought, “She’s probably right. Oh well, I’ll just do my best.” The likely result? Defeat on the court.
When someone tells you that you can’t do something, does that spur you on to prove them wrong? Or, does it make you doubt and second-guess yourself? Perhaps it gives you an excuse to underperform and give less than your best.
In questions like this it’s very easy to be self-reflective and point the finger at those around us for not understanding who we are. It becomes a blame game. I would have done better, been better, achieved better if they hadn’t said that, done that, been that.
My question, though, is what do the key people in your life respond to? It’s one thing to know what drives us, but in order to be the best friends, parents, siblings, leaders and teammates, we need to be aware of what brings out the best in those around us.
Are your words to those in your life spurring them on to achieve the best in their lives, or are you inadvertently hindering their performance? Are you paying attention to the impact your words have?
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