Whether you sit in the ‘cricket- lover’ camp or whether you think (as my mate says) that it’s “a game you couldn’t pay a hooker to watch”, you may be interested in a fascinating struggle going on in the sport right now which I think relates to all of us.
It’s symbolic of the struggle that goes on in the minds of the majority of the population. A struggle which affects the way we live our lives, and MAYBE even what medications that we take?
In cricket right now there’s a battle between the tired old voices stuck in beliefs about the game which date back to the 70s, and the new breed, who are blowing those beliefs out of the water and showing the rest of us not only how to approach cricket but how to approach life.
In the white corner is the traditionalists of the game. They’ve had beliefs passed down about what’s possible and what is right, in the same way that beliefs are handed down within families and in towns and communities. These form the boundaries of the way it SHOULD be played. And if anyone steps outside of that, the wise old heads in the commentary box will pull them into line – “He’s got to learn to put a price on his wicket”.
Let’s choose Ian Chappell to represent the tired old voices of the game. While he clearly has great insight on many aspects of cricket, many of his views come from a game he played long ago.
The general view of these commentators in the white corner involves using a range of shots devised over 100 years ago, and anything from outside that list of shots is regarded as reckless, or should even be banned.
It’s an approach based on FEAR.
You protect your wicket and ‘make it through to the next break’.
You preserve what you’ve got.
You play a straight bat.
You do things the way they’ve always been done.
In the current World Cup this outdated approach was one adopted by England (Who woulda guessed it’d be the Poms who were stuck in the past hey?), whose camp spoke of the need to preserve wickets in the early overs. It’s an approach which makes no sense, but it’s the way things USED to be done.
It’s no coincidence that the Poms have been bundled out of the tournament in the early stages. Telegraph journalist Nick Hoult summed it up best:
“England’s dismal campaign was caused by an inability to handle the pressure, by a group of players gripped by fear”.
The poor old Poms didn’t appear to be having much fun!
In the opposite corner wearing the bright coloured clothing is the new breed of cricketer, best depicted by New Zealand’s fearless captain Brendon McCullum. This new breed play with dare and adventure, and a new arsenal of shots not in the traditional textbook. And most importantly, they play without the fear of getting out.
The evolution of T20 cricket, a shortened version of the game where the traditional cautious approach of batsmen has been thrown out the dressing room window, has broken through the boundaries of what is possible for batsmen. McCullum was pivotal to this evolution, opening the inaugural Indian Premier League T20 season with a brilliant 158 and in doing so setting a new ceiling of what can be achieved.
McCullum also leads the wave of batsmen bringing this daring, adventurous approach to the longer forms of the game. His 195 from just 134 deliveries in the test match against Sri Lanka in late 2014 is unprecedented for the rate at which he scored, and this cavalier approach didn’t affect his overall performance in the 2014 calendar year, amassing 1164 runs at an outstanding average of 72.75.
McCullum’s inspiring leadership is creating a juggernaut in his own country during the current World Cup. His fearless batting and captaincy has galvanised his team and the entire nation behind him, and the result is a 6-0 win/loss record going into the knock out phase of the tournament. His team of underdogs are now a clear 2nd favourite with the bookmakers.
So what’s all this got to do with you, you may ask?
(Especially if you come from the cricket hating fraternity who would rather crawl across a desert of broken glass than sit through one of Ian Chappell’s commentary stints.)
My hunch is that this battle between the old and the new in cricket is symbolic of the battle that goes on in the minds of most of us.
I think we’ve all got a part of us who dreams of attacking life in the brave, bold, fearless manner of New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. And I think that’s why the entire population of New Zealand has rallied behind their cricket team right now as they have never done before. We all just love that courage and the sense of adventure that he shows.
And then I think most of us also have a tired old voice from the past like Ian Chappell in our heads insisting that we take the cautious approach.
And perhaps that’s why we have over one million Australians on anti- depressant medication. If you’re living your life like it’s a 1970’s test match, you’re gonna NEED some pills to keep you upright!!
You’re probably familiar with this inner struggle that goes on within each of us.
E.g. Part of you may want to be a successful and wealthy entrepreneur, while part of you thinks you’ll lose touch with your family and friends.
Part of you may want to try singing lessons, while a part thinks that you don’t embarrass yourself like that.
The battle is different for each of us, but it’s these inner conflicts that are one of the leading reasons that I see in my clients for why they’re stuck in their present circumstances, paralysed by all kinds of fears, while their ambitions lay well beyond these present circumstances.
In many cases the need for anti-depressants lays in the gap between present circumstances and the ambitions.
ACTION PLAN
1. Get to know the different voices in your head.
For example, when one part of you wants to be ambitious, and another part chimes in with ‘Who do you think you are?’, whose voice does that part represent? Is it the voice of a parent, grandparent, uncle, teacher, or perhaps even the collective mentality of the town or community you were brought up in?
When you find yourself using the word ‘should’, should according to whom? Whose rules, whose beliefs are you living by?
“When you hear someone saying ‘I should’, it aint you”.
-Dr John Demartini
2. What does this part of you, this voice, want you to get?
These parts always have something worthwhile to say. They often have timeless wisdom about ASPECTS of your life that you may do well to heed.
Think of it like this: Entrepreneurs, successful because of their sense of daring, will still have a ‘voice of doom’ sitting on their boards to highlight and then minimise risks.
– Maybe it would be smart to take some swimming lessons before jumping in the deep end?
– Maybe you do need a back up plan before setting off on a great adventure?
These voices in your head always want the best for you. The key is to thank them for their contribution and consider what they have to say.
– “How would I deal with this worst case scenario?”
Make adjustments where necessary, but don’t let the fears in their approach stop you in your tracks. Many of us take these voices in our head far too seriously.
“You will be free of the worlds turbulence as soon as you stop taking your thoughts so seriously”
– Dan Millman
3. Get your eye back on the prize.
Once you’ve considered the worst case scenario, bring back the picture of what you want. Hold that picture in your mind, and then step up as the type of person who gets to have that.
When the bowler is running in to Brendon McCullum, McCullum is thinking boldly and courageously – he’s thinking about hitting him for six. If he gets a ball which is unsuitable, he has already considered the ‘worst case’ scenario and makes adjustments when they are needed. But in this execution phase he’s not thinking about being bowled out.
And if he does lose his wicket? Well he knows the sun will come up tomorrow. And he’ll have done it living life on his terms.
“Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all”
-Helen Kellar
Think of the life you want to live…
Is it the bold, daring adventure of Brendon McCullum?
Or is it the fear based life of a 1970’s test match?
(You might need some pills for that one…)
Let me know what you think. I’ll be hanging out in the comments below.
Doc
Ps. I take my clients through a process where they get to know these different voices in their head, and are able to learn what each of them has to say and take on board whatever is necessary. (But we never let the Ian Chappell’s of this world dictate their experience of this life ;))
Ps 2. No Ian Chappell’s were harmed in the writing of this article.