3 guys who never knew each other as kids. Three unique experiences growing up…but 3 folks w bonds that tie us together immeasurably – all life experiences & MH to thank for it.
Bottom left, I was 24yrs old, working w NBA players. My role was to deliver the “Business of Basketball” presentation – abt how revenues are generated & how players interacting w key stakeholders can grow the pie. To my left was Stephon Marbury & 7-Footer, Yao Ming. Seems cool at 24, right?
Well guess what? I’d go into mtgs w team execs (men/women 30 yrs my senior) before these talks w players, & I’d be so in my own head it was scary. My biggest irrational fear: forgetting everything I had to say. I was gonna go “blank.” I’d be called upon & would just sit there as these top execs stared at me, empty-brained.
To combat it, I’d sit in these mtgs, waiting for my turn to talk, repeating the “first line” I had ready to go in my head, over & over again, thinking that being prepared w SOMETHING would take the edge off & from there I could build momentum. That was my coping strategy. It was all I knew.
@theofleury14 has shared similarly that when he played, sometimes in the face-off circle in front of millions on TV, the scoreboard would seem like it was spinning. The ice looked like it could cave at any moment. His coping mechanism at the time? More drugs/alcohol & other vices.
@darrenrovell has more recently shared his experience covering the Olympics on TV, wrought w anxiety, shaking, not knowing where it came from. His fix at the time to get thru – a Rx drug he’d never taken before, thinking that’d be the key to his “normalcy.” He got thru his broadcasts, but the Rx was far from the answer.
3 guys who didn’t know each other…who had to perform on stages of high pressure to varying degrees, in diff “arenas” & the stubbornness wouldn’t allow us to stop & fix things. After all, that’s not what we ever did. We always pushed thru.
3 guys who’ve since realized our pasts catch up to us, & the only way to heal is to work THRU our stuff, not grind more w quick fixes! Learn from our earlier mistakes.