I spend a lot of time and energy as an addiction counselor trying to empower others to change the direction of their lives, but rarely do I get the opportunity to feel empowered by the actions of others.
Although the USWNT was ranked #2 and there was talk about them having the potential to make it to the finals and win the world cup, they were the underdog in so many ways. Soccer has never been a marketable sport in the US, however in many countries around the world it is the only sport that matters. Meanwhile, women’s soccer has been undervalued for years with minimal televised broadcasting, limited athletic endorsements, and no financial profit for the players. Prior to flying out for the World Cup finals, I went to 6 different stores around New Jersey for USWNT apparel and was dismayed to find nothing. I had to order shirts online which luckily arrived the day before we left for Vancouver. We all know that if your favorite team made it to the Superbowl or World Series, the stores would be flooding with merchandise, but why not soccer; especially considering the fact that this is our national team representing our country! Well with all the drawbacks these women were faced with they identified their barriers and challenged themselves to run right through them. They worked as a team throughout the entire world cup to achieve something that others doubted they could, then dominated in the final game and showed the world what they were really capable of. Not only did they have to condition themselves physically, but mentally they had to be tough and not only visualize their objective, but not allow any distracting negativity to derail them from their goal which in their case was 5 goals. This is something that we should all learn from them because we allow external negative stressors to dictate our lives in so many ways. It doesn’t matter if I am working with a client, speaking to a friend, visiting a family member, or working with a colleague our biggest challenge in life is when we stand in front of ourselves. We believe that the actions of others cause our reactions or give us stress, but it’s the thoughts in our head that direct us, control us, derail us. We have the opportunity to change the direction of our lives at anytime, we may need a little help from others, but we have to stop being so independent and learn to ask for help. We have to surrender ourselves to the power of interdependence which is collaboration multiple individuals relying on each other. This team represents interdependence and it is something that we should all strive for because with it we have the opportunity to feel more relaxed while being more productive, to live optimistically and with positive energy, and to empower others to live that way to. So thank you to the 23 members of the US women’s national team for being the inspiration that we as Americans need to change the course of our lives. I believe this victory can be the turning point for women’s soccer because the value behind what you women do every day is priceless and should be noticed, and broadcasted nationally.
0 Comments
|
Authorfinding greatness in the unimaginable.empowering others.addiction advocate.living simply, contently, passionately. Archives
April 2016
Categories |