Have you ever received bad news and you wanted to do something about it but
there was absolutely nothing in your power that could fix the situation?
Unfortunately, this will happen to ALL of us at one time or another, and in all
areas of our lives. And, this just happened to our boxers over a very important
event – their State Championships.
I received a call from our head boxing coach on Friday evening. He had just heard
from one of the boxers who was the first to arrive at the competition venue that
their registration was not found. How could that be?? Everything had been
double checked by our coach, and all the final preparations were being taken care
of so we could travel to the competition site and support our athletes, leaving our
support staff to cover all classes and front desk duties back at the gym. Once the
coach arrived a couple hours later, he found out that there was a glitch in
communication between organizations, and some of the fighters had not been
registered correctly. After much investigation and many attempts to try to
remedy the situation, there was nothing that could be done – our boxers would
not be able to compete. Parents and athletes had travelled over 4 hours to the
venue and reserved their hotel for the weekend – to say I felt helpless and very
bad for all involved (including our coach) is an understatement. Unfortunately,
situations like this one happen to all of us and we are faced with 2 choices: getting
angry, frustrated, and wanting to find who should be punished, or, feeling the
frustration/sadness, but making the best of the situation and not letting the
disappointment define what we do next and take away our power.
Doors are closed all the time; mistakes happen when sometimes they could be
prevented, and sometimes nothing can be done, but we can take these
opportunities to grow, to mold our character and to build resilience. We mightnot understand it then, but sometimes, an event occurring (or not happening)
was somehow the universe protecting us. Have you ever heard of the saying
“Rejection is God’s protection”? I have come to realize after the fact that God has
protected me from many situations, and I am so very grateful!
Sometimes we will not understand or find a reason, but we must trust that it
happened in our best interest, find a silver lining, and use that experience as fuel
to improve, grow and find a different path to success and happiness.
Both Coach Felipe and I had to learn this very difficult lesson at the height of our
gymnastics careers. For me, after a severe back fracture which took me out of the
sport for about 6 months just after making the National team, I was able to get
back up and make the World Championships Team. All was set and we were ready
to travel to Hungary and compete at World Championships, the qualifying even
for the Olympics, when suddenly all international travel was halted by our
government. Just like that, our Olympic dreams were over, and there was
absolutely nothing we could do… or so I thought. I had 2 choices, quit, and always
wonder if there was something beyond that moment, or, look for other
opportunities in the sport for which I trained my whole life. I chose the latter, and
received an NCAA gymnastics scholarship at a Division 1 university in the US and
many new doors were open for me.
Coach Felipe had a similar situation – he did get to compete 4 years before at
World Championships, and he qualified for the Olympics, just to be told later that
our country was boycotting the Olympic Games. Such a crushing moment, all
those years of training and giving everything to the sport just to be taken away –
but like me, he chose to keep going, and not only did he obtain a scholarship in
the US as well, but he and his team won the National Championships and many
new opportunities began to appear.
Stories such as these 2 happen all the time, but we cannot let them stop us from
pursuing our dreams. We might have to redesign our path or create a total brand-
new roadmap, but it is up to us to learn from the situation, grow and continue our
road to success despite obstacles. These instances will only make us stronger and
more capable of facing more challenges in the future, always bouncing back up
faster and with more power.
When faced with a difficult situation, it is a good practice to ask yourself the
following:
Is this under my control? Is there something I can do to change the outcome? If
yes, then take the appropriate steps to solve the problem. But if it is completely
out of your control, let yourself feel the emotions, but then take a deep breath,
let go, and begin to look for other options. Not only will your stress and anxiety
decrease, but you will also be able to focus on a different path, or a different way
to handle the situation – a win-win moment!
Remember, worrying about something for which there is NOTHING you can do
only robs you of your energy, peace, and strength. Instead, focus on what you can
control and keep moving forward!
As far as our boxers, this will give them more time to prepare for their next fight,
and increase the chances of success as well as increasing their resilience power,
something which will help them with their boxing career.
My sincere apologies go to them and their families for having to travel so far and
not being able to compete – I wish there were something our staff could have
done. But I know their futures look bright and there will be many more
opportunities to shine, and the way they handled the whole situation was
remarkable – so very proud of all of them!
**Note: this does not just apply to sports, but also to all areas in our lives:
school, work, career, family, relationships, and health. FOCUS ON WHAT YOU
CAN CONTROL!
If you are stuck facing a situation and would like some direction and guidance –
we can help! Just contact us and we will be happy to show you how we can help.
It is your time to shine and find new possibilities for happiness and success!
