On the TUNNEYSIDE of SPORTS February 29, 2016 #582 Up next…Sustaining Self-discipline!
After further review…In a recent TunneySide column/blog I pushed the envelope a bit with the statement: “Sports teaches something that can’t be taught anywhere else.” An alert and thoughtful reader challenged, saying: “Not so!” He continued by citing musical associations like bands and orchestras, and other activities that require giving one’s best effort for the benefit of the T*E*A*M. I am grateful for his assistance, because it helps re-sharpen our focus on the idea that helping others also sustains one’s ability to maintain self-discipline.
Let’s examine how self-discipline can be beneficial for the welfare of any group. For over four decades the TunneySide has used the word “team” as a mnemonic acronym for: Together Everyone Accomplishes More. The basic definition of that phrase is that while each of us possesses individual talents, much more can be achieved when we engage others in unified and cooperative activity.
One might ask: What about the swimmer, golfer, or tennis player who performs/competes as an individual? Ask anyone of those participants, and they will surely tell you their individual successes occur most often because of good coaching. Remember — Tony Bennett, one of the elite singers today, has a voice coach! Most top performers will credit their coaches/mentors with a note of appreciation for their success. Self-discipline is obviously paramount in achieving that individual success, and a coach is often needed to reinforce that characteristic.
What happens to self-discipline when people quit performing? A recent Harvard study indicated that when relationships with one’s teammates are discontinued, health and happiness suffer. If there were a targeted study of former teammates of advancing age, I am convinced it would find that those who continue to be connected with former teammates are happier and healthier than those who chose isolation. And in that sense of connection would be found the will, the desire, and the energy– the self-discipline! —to move forward productively in life.
The TunneySide can relate to the personal experience of the officiating family from across the spectrum, but especially the NFL officiating corps, which stands as shining example of those who maintain contact with their colleagues. With several former officials in their nineties and many more in their eighties and seventies, the camaraderie and ongoing concern shared by former on-field partners is often a significant factor in the retirees’ health and happiness. Teamwork learned on the field will carry on indefinitely. And self-discipline will flow from that commitment to something bigger than oneself.
Will you continue to nurture your self-discipline charteristics well into your advancing years?
To contact Jim go to www.jim@jimtunney.com or email him jim@jimtunney.com.
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