Martina Navratilova, who is arguably one of the greatest female tennis players to ever play the game, was once asked, “How do you maintain your focus, your physique, and your sharp game, even at the age of 43?” She gave a humble reply. “The ball doesn’t know how old I am.” You need to stop yourself from stopping yourself. Every game in life is actually played on a six inch ground. That’s the space between your ears. We don’t live in bungalows, duplexes, mansions, ranches, or flats. We live in our mind, which is an unlimited area. Life is great when things are sorted and uncluttered there. Keeping the mind messy with hatred growing on the table, regrets piling up in the corner, expectations boiling in the kitchen, secret stuff under the carpet, and worries littered everywhere ruins this real home of yours.
The key factor in performing well in life and in every arena is the ability to control the quality and the quantity of your internal dialogue. Performance is potential minus internal interference. So live in peace, not in pieces. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “A man or woman is what he or she thinks about all day long.” So what are you letting into the house of your mind? Is it consumed by the news and social media or gossip? Do yourself an audit and pay attention to what you’re feeding your mind throughout the day. I bet you’ll be surprised how much negativity you consume on a daily basis. And I guarantee, if you clean up the inputs, your output on life will be far greater.