Batting is a Lonely Place

We all face moments where others try to bring us down, whether it's through teasing, ridicule, or name-calling and we get offended

But if something isn't true, how can it be offensive?

My beard sometimes develops a strawberry blonde/ginger tinge to it and I've often been called a "ginger" by people because of it

I used to get offended. Gingers are often ridiculed, mocked, and teased so I didn't want to be seen as one. They're said to have no soul along with a host of other derogatory statements all based off a physical characteristic that doesn’t define who you are

If you feel offended, you always a choice. (Quick side note YOU can only offend yourself)

You can choose to be offended by what is said, you can debate what was said, you can ignore what was said, or you can accept what was said

The reality is, everyone has a different perspective on things, so if someone thinks I’m ginger, I’m ginger no need to waste time or energy on their statement. If they say I have no soul, that's not true, I do have a soul so it can't offend me

I know who I am and what my values are, I strive to be an honourable man who gives more than expected, so I’m not affected by the perspective and opinions of other people anymore

Batting is one of the hardest things to do in the World and at a Professional Level it takes between 480-540 milliseconds (ms) for the ball to travel from the bowler to you. (1000ms = 1 second)

It takes the human eye 200-280ms to pick up and see the ball, yes you are only seeing it once it’s travelled more than a third of the distance to you

The quickest reaction time is between 200 to 250ms and it takes 100-125ms to play a shot or take evasive action

This leaves 50 to 100ms of observation time to DECIDE if you will play a shot, leave the ball or take evasive action if it’s coming at your head. It is a complete MindF*#ck how powerful your brain is and what it is capable of doing

To do this successfully you have to be PRESENT

You only get one chance to bat, and one mistake can result in you sitting on the side line for a day or longer watching your teammates fill their boots.

Something you need to accept is you are going to fail more than you're going to succeed and it can be soul destroying

It's you out there, alone, against 11 opponents who are coming at you relentlessly trying to get in your head, to anger and offend you into making a mistake

Batting can be incredibly lonely and it's easy to feel isolated, alone, and not part of the team when you're not contributing and let’s not forget the press, fans and tv pundits picking your game apart and attacking your character when you’re struggling for runs

In this high-stakes environment, with all of these challenges you cannot afford to be offended, or let negative words get to you and cause anger or self-doubt

If you’re in your head you’re dead

And if you don’t know who you are and you don’t have consistent and repeatable processes you trust that deliver consistent outcomes and provide feedback then you’re going to find yourself in a dark, lonely place filled with low self-esteem, doubt and hopelessness when the runs aren’t coming

You need to do the work so you don’t give a f*#k what anyone says or thinks because you’re so grounded in who you are and are crystal clear in a process that delivers consistent access to your Run Flow State, the best version of you showing up to play on instinct

I started this post with the question: "If something is not true, how can it be offensive" and by now I hope you'll realise: "If something isn't true, it can't be offensive". Only the truth can offend and if you're offended you're being given an opportunity to learn and grow.

Being clear on my values has brought this ginger nothing but happiness, confidence and peace of mind

(Data source: Time Travel In Cricket by Ian Pont)