By Perpetua Njeri
Tennis is both a competitive and relaxing sport. The most amazing thing about the game is its structure. The ball is always bouncing from one player to the other. The players must be fast enough to hit it before it bounces off the court. As a player you must always focus on the ball regardless of the situation or distraction outside the court. It requires your undivided attention on game.
Many circumstances in life make us the tennis ball in the game or field of life. I have been a tennis ball so many times in my life, bouncing back and forth on my dreams and ambitions. I have been told NO so many times I stopped counting. Life has not been a bed of roses but that has never stopped me from getting up in the morning. When life makes you a tennis ball, being tossed from one end to the other, there are some important things to remember:
1) Every situation is a learning opportunity
Every situation of seeming hardship has a lesson to be learnt. It may not be easy to see this in the hard times, but you always have to look at the situation positively. Look at the opportunities presented to you by the situation whether positive or negative. I know that the struggles we face could easily cloud our judgement and cause us miss out an opportunity to learn a relevant lesson applicable now or in the future.. When you learn from the situation you master a coping mechanism and quickly bounce back.
2) Accept failure but do not allow it to be your shadow
Failure is a constant thing in life. We have all failed in life at some point. Failure allows you to face your fears and acknowledge them. There is danger when we keep on remembering the failure and not the lesson in the failure. This will always bring out the worst fears we carry inside of us. My little secret is to conquer my fears regardless of the situation. Never let your fears remind you of your failures. Always accept that you have failed in a particular situation, fix the mistakes and move on to a better place.
3) Define what Success looks like for you
Success has been defined by so many great leaders. Recently I had the opportunity of listening to a group of such leaders define what success is to them. Surprisingly, none of them had the same definition! Success in life can only be defined by you as an individual. If you define success on how you view it as opposed to how others view it you will never be affected by the way they view success. Some women take the view that they must be greater or better than others to be successful. We are constantly fighting our dreams and God’s purpose because we forget we were all made different and God has a plan for each person. We must finish our own personal race just like Paul. Take the time off to decide what success is to you. This will allow you to keep the focus regardless of the distraction around you.
Every woman has the capacity to bounce back. You must have faith, a positive mentality and proper guidance. We must remember to always find a great mentor who can carry you and help you acknowledge your mistakes. Push yourself to greater heights by always remembering that each failure is a stepping stone to a greater future.
