Today I come to you with concerns about the state of mind of so many Americans due to our recent Presidential election results and other issues. Over my 63 years of being on this earth, I’ve never seen an election carry so much weight in terms of how Americans have reacted, or should I say overreacted. I’m not here to say that your reaction was right or wrong, but rather to suggest how you might possibly move forward in life and maintain your mental wellness.
Athletes are taught very early in our careers how to handle a big win or a disappointing loss. My coaches always said that you have 24 hours to celebrate a victory or a loss. Then you must move forward and prepare for the next game. Don’t dwell on the loss of a game you can no longer play.
Another saying I’ve heard over the years, “Once the hay is in the barn, it’s time to move on to the next chore.” Well today many Americans need to move on to the next chore and exercise their right to either celebrate or stew in their loss, but only for 24 hours. Sometimes we must accept things we can no longer change or control. The first step to moving forward is accepting the results.
Whether it’s a game, an election, or in my case a bass tournament, no matter if it was a victory or a loss, I must move on and get ready for my next tournament. Sure, I’ll evaluate what maybe went wrong or how I made a bad decision on tournament day and then I’ll do my best to NOT make the same mistake moving forward.
Nothing is more important than our mental health, as it can affect not only our own personal wellness, but those around us daily. How we handle defeat or victory can impact our family and friends in a negative or positive way. It’s all about how you as an individual recognize the situation and choose to move on. But it is a choice!
Years ago, a former boss of mine gave me some great advice on how to handle “butt chewings” from the man who was the CEO of the company I worked for. This CEO was a former marine and could peel the paint off the wall once he got bent out of shape on a particular issue. He told me that you can’t control what he says to you, but you can control how you receive it.
This resonated with me, and even though I only had a couple of chewings from this CEO over my 14 years of working with him, it made a huge difference on how I reacted to him. I think my athletic background played a huge roll in how I handled any blunt critiques because a few of my coaches were famous for their hard style of coaching.
So many kids today that play athletics, don’t or can’t handle hard coaching. Kids have gotten soft in the last twenty years and take criticism personally and will often choose to walk away from the team even though the coach is only trying to make them a better player. They think the coach doesn’t like them and would rather quit the sport rather than be coached.
We, as a society and parents, need to get back to tough love with our kids and do a better job of preparing them for life’s challenges. Stop teaching them to quit just because an election, a game, or their job didn’t go the way they wanted. Teach that everybody does not get a trophy! Instead, teach them how to handle and overcome a loss, a tough coach or maybe a hot-headed boss. Teach them that you don’t play the game for the coach, you play because you love the game!
All the above has been on my heart recently now that I’ve seen how distraught some people are after the recent Presidential election. People have literally lost their minds over something they have very little control over other than a single vote. Here’s some food for thought…. no matter who is the sitting President of the United States, when we wake up tomorrow, we will still go about our daily lives and routines the same way we have for years.
While we might not ALL agree on certain polices or who is running our country, one thing is for certain; trials and tribulations are headed our way and it’s up to us as Americans on how we handle them. Tonight, when you lay down for a peaceful night’s rest, just remember, everything is going to be ok. May God bless each of you and this great nation we live in, he owes us this because we have never turned our back on him. Ha!
Contact Steve at sgraf26@yahoo.com
