Difficult situations — Ft MS Dhoni
Are you in a difficult situation? Isn’t it a blessing in disguise? You don’t think so? Let us rewire the perception towards the situation by comparing it with the thought process of a smart skipper from high-octane cricket games.
(Sorry to disappoint you but this article is not about Karma)
How many times have we heard or seen this phrase “MS Dhoni saves the day”. So how did he manage to get the team out of difficult situations so many times? The tone of this article might sound like deep analysis of the skipper’s brain. But honestly, I did no research and ended up typing this after watching the highlights of these games (lock down lock down).
Situation statement:
His team is struggling at 50 for 5. The top order and middle order are all gone and can only hope for the best and win somehow. Not everyday tail-enders can pull miracles. In walks, the captain with almost 40 overs to bat and only a few bowlers left to play.
Acceptance:
The first step towards handling a difficult situation is to accept and analyze the situation. The skipper respects and plays out bowlers (trouble makers) who are bowling deadly deliveries with great confidence and don’t want to give them another wicket. He accepts the fact that he can’t go after them. Smart thinking is really important and it’s always good to keep your emotions under control. These are the times when you tend to go for the extraordinary and end up finishing even worse. Accepting reality is the key.
Smart thinking and optimism:
Always give yourself and others around you a chance. The world might look dark to you, but there is always some light at the end of the tunnel. Set your path towards finding the light. The skipper keeps rotating the strike and making sure that the tail-enders only get to play a few deliveries every over. He runs hard so that he is on course with his plan. He sets a realistic goal on what could be a good score with limited resources. He sets his path towards the light.
Recovery:
After seeing off the initial difficult stages, it is important to begin the recovery path. Keep your mind wide open and look for opportunities and habits that will help you with the recovery process. A part-time bowler comes to bowl, skipper sees an opportunity and tries to score as many runs as possible from these few overs. He also encourages the batsmen (who are bowlers technically) on the other end to stay and do what they can without losing their wicket.
And he bats throughout the 50 overs targeting bowlers and power play restrictions. From 50 for 5 the team reaches 250+ runs. Not only the team is out of a difficult situation, but there is a high chance that they might win if they bowl well. All of a sudden, you can sense a shift in momentum. Bowlers bowling good deliveries, a lot of runs being saved on the field and every batsman who didn’t score is trying to contribute to the game. Your attitude rubs off on everyone around you.
And that’s not it. You now have your lessons learned register, and you will carry that on to your next challenge (in other words, this is what is called an experience. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with your age).
If MS Dhoni can save the day, so do you!
