Projects. The sporting onion.
The sports industry is full of projects, programs and portfolios. Many folks think it is a life of glamour and wealth. Mainly because their involvement is the game or the entertainment product on T.V.
My own career in sports was motivated by a sense of service, not glory. My focus was building programs and creating opportunity, through coaching then governance. My coaching philosophy is fairly simple: "Players want to play"; by extension, in a governance role my mantra was "more playing opportunities for more players."
Compared to any other industry I've enjoyed, sports labor comes with a large side of emotions. It should be fun, full of passion, excitement and challenge.
As an athlete I loved every minute of every participation; no matter the pain, preparation or predicament it was a shit ton of fun. Whether it was muddy minutes on a rugby field, heavy heat on an endurance run, or a shivery swim in the sea, the combined achievements of brain and body offer an endless fascination.
As a coach, I truly believe that if I can share a fraction of the love of any engagement with aspiring athletes, it will pay forward in their lives. I know from experience how far one can stretch the boundaries of their own conditioning. The compounded wins for an individual are significantly more valuable than the scoreboard wins on the day of the races.
Now when it comes to governance, holy cow! did I underestimate the level of emotion. I entered the arena with a sense of service but, in my naivete was not really prepared for the contest. Sports provides a concentration of human habits and a reflection of societal behaviors. The layers of this onion are various and multiple and whilst we like to enjoy the light, the dark side of the force is present when a win is at stake.
Before my time in governance, I was not aware of narcissism nor its impacts. I knew about gamesmanship but never realized the extent to which some folks would try to engineer a win. I had heard about abuse but never understood the rocks under which it hides. As for Trolls, those were creatures in stories, I learned the hard way they are real life characters.
As a full-time enterprise my sports career came to a close a few years ago. Metaphysically it will take a bit longer to get closure. In reality, the layers on the onion keep multiplying. Sport is fragile and forever.
People. Finns.
Finns are modern Stoics. Authentic, clear sighted, free of bullshit, they just get on with living.
Finland is a young sovereign nation with two complex neighbors, Sweden and Russia. In New York terms, the Swedish would be the Upper West Side, the Finns everywhere else and the Russians out beyond Brooklyn, towards Brighton Beach.
My mother is Finnish, lives in a humble cottage with sauna, north of Helsinki; she goes dancing, cycling, berry picking and like many Finns, stays happy, and drinks good coffee.
Pre-Christmas I was concerned about energy issues, and we discussed the situation in Eastern Europe. Facing temperatures reaching minus 20 C, she was ready for 2 scheduled black outs a day and stored wood for winter. Imagine the furore in the U.S. or U.K. press at the prospect of going without.
The Finns though, they just crack on. It helps that houses are well built; 150 euros provided enough wood to heat her cottage for 2 - 3 months. As for black outs, "it's winter, we light more candles" says mum.
Since independence, in December 1917, Finland has dealt regularly with complex neighbors. "The Winter War" 1939 - 40, then the "Continuation War" against Soviet Russia, followed by the "Lapland War" to expel Nazi Germany are a few examples.
I was expecting to help with fuel and energy bills, but the Finnish government stepped in preventing energy companies raising prices and exploiting the people. This is what governance is all about and just "so Finnish." Providing physical and psychological safety in the face of adversity.
Even their leadership is grounded in reality. Whilst the current Prime Minister is trending as the modern face world politics, the current President shows up at local villages to endorse youth hockey teams.
This country of sauna, Moomins, Iittala, Marimekko, architecture, music, sport and technology punches above its weight. Yet, we do not hear about Finnish stoicism enough and I think for two reasons:
One, language: it's easier to quote Aurelius, than Mannerheim (and seemingly trendier).
Two, tacit stoicism: I suspect the Finns think the others just talk too much.
Persevering. Losing weight.
I've never had to lose weight. For most of adulthood, I maintained good routines and the same sizes for more than 20 years.
Life changed though, and in November, I set a target to lose 40 lbs. / 18kgs through focused dieting.
Talk about a daunting task.
Discipline and dedication are essential and in round 1, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's made the challenge exponentially harder.
Whilst losing weight is a numbers game, it is more than just calories in vs calories out, it requires lifestyle changes. So, I started preparing all my own food and learning to chef.
This was to my mind, a critical foundation for success. It allows me to learn new skills, get creative and also remove excess sugars and carbohydrates from food supply.
Food learning is a great journey of discovery and makes shopping more fun when you realize how much nutrition can be found on shelves you have never visited; feeding a creative persona also means no more soul-less supermarkets. I look around for more discerning traders.
Our relationships with food are complex, influenced by environment, upbringing and I suspect time in the womb. (My love of whisky and milk is indicative of early sleep training).
Our emotions and foods are intertwined, so my next critical success factor was to find a coach.
Not a boot camp ego shouting "come on you fat duck," but an authentic professional to help with re-education.
Hard to find in a billion-dollar industry full of "one size fits nobody" programs.
Entering round two, I am already 18lbs / 8 kgs lighter than when I started. The challenge is real. So, here's a couple of starting tips.
Love your kitchen and learn new skills.
Learn to fast. A great challenge for the competitive. A worthy challenge for anyone.
Don't be a victim, be reductive. Reducing feeds creativity and does not mean letting go of everything you love.
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