What does it take to become a Successful Sportsperson?

Have we ever thought about how much self-discipline is needed by chess players, cricket players, or any sportsperson to succeed? In chess sports and life, the ability to accomplish things can attract remarkable opportunities to you. But it all starts with self-discipline. Self-discipline always puts you in the driving seat. It’s what keeps you focused on your purpose, like becoming a Grandmaster in the next 5 years. Like a camera lens zooming into a single object. The details and distractions around it dissipate as you zoom in. From over the board performance to life achievements, accomplishing something important is not easy. But it can be simple. It can be narrowed down to what I call are 4 important kunjis(key) to extraordinary excellence based on my fifteen experience as an educator, an entrepreneur, and someone who is working with the best trainers across the globe in sports.

Self-Awareness & Time Management(जागरूकता & समय प्रबंधन)
Decision Making & Choices(निर्णय)
Courage & Bravery(साहस)
Grit(धैर्य), Strength of character & Determination(दृढ़ निश्चय)

Self-Awareness & Time Management
When you become aware of what things you spend your time on and begin tracking your tasks, you’ll have a better notion of your “time leaks” and value each waking hour a lot more. Awareness is what allows you to take control back over your use (and other people’s use) of your time, to have an improved chance of achieving your dreams and tapping into your full potential. It’s critical to get clear on how your time is saved or lost… used or wasted. As the first step to accomplishing something big, you need to sharpen your awareness of your time, your time leaks, and your opportunities to control it better.

Decision Making & Choices(निर्णय)
Any achievement always follows a deliberate decision. There are very rare exceptions of accidental achievements, like buying a lottery ticket and being the odd winner. and it is never going to happen in chess or any other sports, So this isn’t the norm. True achievement is incubated from a decision to make something better. As a result of your desire to make a difference, you can decide now how things are going to change. These are small decisions you make daily which would shape up to make you kind of the person you are.

For Example, the Decision to watch a particular chess or cricket course even when you find it hard, because it is needed

Courage & Bravery(साहस)
Being from the northern part of the country and playing cricket during the earlier childhood days as most of us have done. One thing I have learned in this life to succeed at anything at all, one of the most important thing you would need is जिगरा(कठिन काम करने का हौसला). Being brave supports all the other virtues that we see in successful people and chess players. Focus, strength, determination — all flow from courage. And if you don’t have courage in times of stress, your focus, your strength, your determination, and other virtues can quickly fly out the window. It takes courage to pursue an opportunity that most people think is crazy. Like courage to following your dream to be a world champion, a Grandmaster, a world amateur champion, an IPL cricketer, or play for India.

Grit(धैर्य), Strength of character & Determination(दृढ़ निश्चय)
Grit is what keeps you going. Taking action means starting, implementing, flowing through, and completing something. Once you’ve decided to achieve a goal, you need to start working on it. Depending on the situation, starting can be easy. The difference between doing well at the Games and not doing well is sheer determination. You find that people at the top in any sports for years are those who still practice when they are tired or ill and have the determination to battle through, no matter what. I love what I do, so anything’s worth it. The enjoyment you get at the end of a successful chess competition makes it worthwhile. And if you get to stand on the podium and hear your national anthem playing. Trust me, that’s a different feeling altogether, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps, nothing gets better than that.

While these are easier said than done but all the aspiring sports professionals. But being a sports professional is a different ball game altogether.

How do we start or I say fire-start it?

It all starts by making a time table and trying to follow it. planning your day and introspection at the end of the day what is all the successful sports professionals (or maybe successful individuals) do regularly.

So start simple

Start with planning your day!