Serena Williams is most likely the best tennis player ever, male or female. People watch tennis because of her. Period.
I’m not here to speak about her outstanding record as a champion tennis player though. You can read all about that in her Wikipedia entry here. For me, I’m much more interested in the fact that she’s achieved everything that she could ever want.
To this point.
There’s more challenges to come. She is about to become a new mother. And that is a life challenge that obviously she feels ready for.
She has had to get over certain things. She once said this, “Since I don’t look like every other girl, it takes a while to be okay with that. To be different. But different is good.”
I remember a time when she was compared to other slimmer, perhaps prettier and more feminine looking opponents and colleagues. Some of the things said weren’t nice. But God, Serena Williams is STRONG.
For whatever reason people have negative thoughts and emotions. This time they were trying to undermine Serena Williams and her impressive accomplishments. Those weren’t enough though for some people. Instead they wanted to tear her down as something less in some specific areas. So they picked on her looks.
The motives lack credibility. They’re driven by jealousy, resentment – all of these things hurt the people who are saying these things. Serena merely owned up to the fact that being different was a good thing. What was more important is that she put First Things First.
First things First means that she dealt with her own strengths and weaknesses and turned her weaknesses either into strengths or she neglected them altogether if they weren’t going to add to her power.
“I love who I am, and I encourage other people to love and embrace who they are. But it definitely wasn’t easy – it took me a while.”
She finally accepted that she was REALLY good at something and decided to take it ALL the way. She was continuously building herself up mentally and emotionally. And the results, well, they speak for themselves. Now she gets to take on a different stage of her life, in being a wife and mother. Evolution is a wonderful thing. It will be chaotic at times.
As for the people who are filled with resentment and jealousy they are draining their own energy and aren’t even aware of it. It bears repeating because I want to emphasize how important your mental health is. I guarantee that if there’s feelings like that for one person, they’ll have feelings like that for many successful people. And it will get in the way of their own success.
Serena Williams put First Things First. She got her mental and emotional house in order first. Then she had the energy to put it all into her physical tennis game.
I say this: “The body always follows the mind.”
Never discount the mental/emotional ramifications in your life. You better start paying attention to it beginning now, if you’re not. Is life mysterious to you? Why don’t have the energy I need? Why am I depressed? Why do people like Serena Williams succeed where others do not?
Because she took matters into her own hands and she put First Things First.
My work is all about possibility and possibility thinking. It changes the brain. It heals the brain. Neuroplasticity works both ways. You’re either shrinking the brain which is therefore a sick brain or you’re growing it. As you expand your life by WHAT you are THINKING, you are encouraging the birth and growth of new healthy brain cells and creating new healthy neural networks.
Because you’ve chosen to think constructively and positively and then taken those thoughts and put them into action to produce the results you want!
So, what about you?
Are you pouring your heart and soul into something that has a lot of meaning for you?
Are you ready to make tough decisions and go after what you want?
Success is not easy, not matter how you cut it. But the results are mighty fine. Stop living small. Dream big. Do big. Take a leap of faith. And be your own person all the way!
Dr. Joanny Liu, TCMD, B.Civil Eng, International #1 Best Selling Author and founder of Extraordinary Sports Medicine, where we help athletes reverse injury, get back in the game they love and improve their quality of life.
P.S. Watch Nathan’s Successful Recovery from Post Concussion Syndrome:
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