Getting the Best Out of Ourselves
Nick De Luca, Director of Sport at Uppingham Schoolector of Sport at Uppingham School
They say you should never meet your heroes, but after meeting Anthony Joshua by chance several weeks ago, he more than lived up to my expectations.
I have always admired this values-based athlete not just for his achievements, but for the vulnerability, graciousness and accountability he has shown even in his toughest moments.
Anthony Joshua makes no excuses. He wastes no time blaming others, instead he learns from his defeats and moves forward. His incredible mindset allows him to grow stronger after each challenge.
I was delighted to be able to thank him in person for being an excellent role model to our young people and admired that even with crowds beginning to gather around him, he made time for each interaction to ensure he made a positive impact.
While athletes like Anthony Joshua are at their best in the ring or on the pitch, as individuals our ‘best’ is completely unique to us. In chasing someone else’s idea of success, rather than our own, we can become distracted from building sustainable happiness. Instead, we should explore our own values, and allow these to be our ‘why’ on the pathway to success.
At points in our lives, we can find ourselves at a crossroads, unsure of who we are and what truly matters to us. I felt this during my professional rugby career; the sport dominated my identity and dictated my happiness. I had to go on a journey of self-discovery to understand who I really was and what my values were. Once I understood these values, I was able to develop my own ‘scoreboard for success’ and focus on what made me feel happy and fulfilled in my life.
Understanding your core values can help you to refocus and build the sustainable happiness we all crave. If you too find yourself at a crossroads, here are some thought exercises that I found beneficial.
Begin by considering how you want to be remembered: whether in a wedding speech, on your 90th birthday, or by loved ones when you are no longer around; how do you want people to remember you? Next, think about who your role models are and why you admire them. The values that stand out to you during these exercises are often those that matter most to who you are, and by focusing on these values throughout your life, you can create goals and make decisions based on what will bring you joy and happiness – your own unique version of success.
Maya Angelou - “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel”
