Exercise your choice

So, after doing several of the Australian Open podcasts with a talking tennis, I'm now back with my regular podcast. And it's a nice segue into this podcast because what I'm going to talk about today is choice. One of the important things we can learn as adults is that nobody really can make us do anything, we need to choose to do it. But if you're in a situation where you don't have a choice, the one choice that you do have is how you react to it, and the attitude that you bring to whatever is happening. So as an example, Liam having lost such a disappointing match, at the Australian Open, now has a choice in how he's going to react to that loss. He can feel sorry for himself, he can feel devastated, he can feel any number of emotions. But that is a choice. And the choice comes after the emotion hits. In other words, of course, he's disappointed, maybe even a little devastated. But after a couple of hours, you need to start thinking about the future and by the next day, you have to have made your choice in how you're going to react to the disappointment. Everything in life that happens, cannot be controlled. The only thing you can control is how you're going to react to it. And that is not the initial reaction. It is irresponsible for anybody to say that you can control your emotions, what you can do is after the emotion has hit is then make different choices. Certainly, it seems like certain people can control their emotions, because they turn themselves around so often, that the emotions no longer hit us hard. In other words, Liam is a seasoned professional now. And whilst he cannot prevent the disappointment from hitting that disappointment is not as severe as he felt maybe the first time he lost in the Australian Open in the last round of qualifying. It is it is something that happens in the brain, that when you react positively, after the emotion is hit, that somehow the emotions don't grab you as severely, as previously. The best competitors in the world are able to turn around any emotion very quickly that's negative, into something that is much more optimistic for the future. And I think that's a key area is whatever happens in life, the next step is yours to choose. And how you going to think about that. And how you're going to feel about what has happened is a choice. And I think this is, you know, if you read the meaning of life by Viktor Frankl, a survivor of the Holocaust, this was a very, very big part of surviving, where of course there's a lack of the draw there and he doesn't dispute that. But the attitude of those who did survive was one of realism. Understanding that they were in a very tough situation, but also one of optimism that at some point, they would be freed. And they chose to believe that at some point, they would be freed. And they chose to make the best of the living conditions that they had, which were absolutely terrible. And you know, others weren't able to make that choice. I think just like going to the gym and building muscles, learning to make optimistic choices, after disappointments, or after really bad news is like strengthening muscles. It takes practice. And the more practised you are, the quicker and easier you'll find the choices that you make to be positive. Easy, easier. Hope that helps. And I'd really like to hear from everybody. ping me on Twitter, on Instagram, LinkedIn, and let me know whether you enjoy the podcasts from the Australian Open, because there is a possibility that we do some of that more often. Certainly, at the Grand Slams, and maybe at the Masters 1000s. So let me know if you enjoyed them. And if it's something that you'd like to hear more of. Thank you and speak next week.