I don't compete
I like playing sports.
I like playing sports now.
When I was at school, I treated sports as a duty (and it actually was)
until I realized that the problem wasn't the sport, but the way I approached it.
Here's a schematic overview of my sports career:
Age Main sport Side sports** ------------------------------------- 6 Soccer 7 Soccer 8 Soccer 9 Soccer 10 Basket 11 Basket Skateboard, cycling 12 Athletics Skateboard, cycling 13 Athletics Skateboard, cycling 14 Volleyball Cycling 15 Volleyball Breakdance, cycling 16 Hip-hop 17 Swimming 18 Hip-hop Snowboard 19 Yoga Snowboard 20 Gym* Snowboard 21 Gym* Snowboard
*my vision of gym, which includes only running, cycling, stretching, rope jumping, and a lot of talking.
**In this list I decided to include only the main sports that I joined during academic year, plus a couple of season sports.
Alongside these, I had many other sports hobbies pursued with varying degrees of consistency.
The first thing you'll notice is that I switched sports a lot.
Let's start with the fact that my father always compelled me to choose at least one sport to do every year.
Even if I didn't want to do anything.
The choice usually fell on whatever sport my friends were doing.
I saw sports as a game. I just wanted to stay with my friends, chatting and playing.
But this approach works only when you are a kid...
One after the other my teammates became more competitive.
The fun part wasn't playing anymore, but winning.
Training became all about Sunday matches, not just time to stay together laughing and joking.
Looking back, I now realize that my vision was the problem.
I was expecting to find during training the same environment I found when we played at the park.
For me, there was no difference.
I didn't feel the competition of the match.
I realized that I didn't want to compete.
I just wanted to stay with my friends.
When I was 15, in the summer, a group of friends thankfully brought me to a breakdance spot, where I discovered my passion for dancing.
We met there every day to improve and spend time together.
At the beginning of the school, thanks to something that I now see as an incredibly lucky event, I didn't make it to the volleyball team.
As a substitute, I managed to convince my parents to let me join a hip-hop class.
Perfect.
No more competition.
I started to do sports that I enjoyed.
Going to workouts wasn’t a burden anymore.
From that point on, I changed my perception of sports.
It wasn't a duty anymore. It was a pleasure.
I never miss a training session now.
Whenever I join something I block out time on my calendar.
That's a mindset that started with sports and now applies to every other class.
Similarly, I noticed a pattern in competition at workplaces too.
I prefer collaboration and sharing even with outside teams.
Workplaces where departments are racing against each other become toxic, growth slow, and the mood suffers.
Obviously, when I approach a new sport I don't aim to become a champion.
I just want to learn the rules and get somewhat okay at everything.
For personal enjoyment and to make it easier to share interests with other people.
Today, sports are my way to connect with others, spend time together, and have fun.
Even when I play soccer I don't care about the teams. I joke with the opposing team too.
The only duty left is the cold beer after the match.