You Don't Have to Do it Again

*An Instagram caption after winning the 2023 Gstaad Elite 16 tournament.

“You don’t have to do it again.”

-my dad

Of all the meritocracies, professional sports is among the most direct. It can pull strongly to self centeredness where everything is focused on you, your routine, your work ethic, your ability to “have it” and perform under pressure/expectation. Winners and losers. Manifesting results by your belief in yourself. Scratching and clawing for every way to gain any edge over your competitors. In the gym, in the kitchen, on the court, how you recover, how you sleep, how you breathe, how you focus, how you self talk, how you travel... It all matters.

It’s not hard for the pressure to get overwhelming. Sometimes it seems like after winning, “you have to win again” is the next thing that comes to mind, and it robs the present moment.

Who you are is not determined by what you do, and despite how much I remind myself, another version of that lie frequently wiggles its way in. For some reason having it phrased that “you don’t have to do it again” hit different, and I felt free. Who knows if it will wear off in a few days but in Gstaad, that awareness let me be present and enjoy the moment in a pure way I haven’t experienced much before.

Other takeaways I hope to never forget...

1. The odds of success are 100% when God wants it.

The odds of failure are 100% when God wants it. Job 42:2

2. All you can do is do, God does the deep work. Wait on Him. Psalm 51:10

3. Just enjoy, live, laugh, love, have fun. Don’t control but be. Ecclesiastes 5:18