So yesterday I played my first tennis match in two and a half years
So what? You say…
Well here’s the thing. I spent over 35 years playing tennis and I loved it. It was the core of who I was.
And I turned it into my job, my career, my business.
I had some great success and I also made some mistakes
I allowed myself to dream big but think small
I got excited about revenue and profit but ignored cash flow
I scaled really fast, knowing nothing about scaling
Worst of all I placed my trust in the wrong people
I lost my passion, my love and my drive for a sport that gave me so much
It gave me friends
It gave me a competitive spirit
It taught me to fight
It taught me to find reserves when I thought I had nothing left
It gave me self respect
It gave me a way out of being bullied
Ultimately it gave me my daughter
Two and a half years after losing almost everything I stood on a tennis court again with intent
I was more than rusty
I was more than a little unfit
The standard was average at best
I found myself 1-5 down and losing in the first set
I fought
I battled
I got stuck in
I found my reserves
I hustled
And eventually I dug myself out of the hole I was in and I won
I found a way to turn a losing position to a winning one
It won’t happen every time but that doesn’t matter
I know I can do it
Business is like that
It can be tough
It can be lonely
It can feel like you’re losing day after day
You can fight
You can battle
You can find a way
You know what my biggest fear was standing on that court yesterday?
That I’d hate it
That I wouldn’t care
But I didn’t, I loved it, all of it
My passion is back
I can’t wait for the next battle
Keep working, keep trying and keep hustling
You’re stronger than you know even when you think you’re losing
6 – 3, 2 – 6, 7 – 6 (4), 6 – 4 (The score in case you’re interested)
