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Last night, I played in the final match of a bowling tournament held among companies. It was an 8-week effort and our team was played well until the final match. We completed our group as the leader after lots of challenging matches.

Everything was normal before the match. I was feeling good and ready to be a golden medalist. All of our company’s directors, my team leader, lost of colleagues and my best friends came to support me and our team. However, the night turned into a nightmare for me.

I played terrible and we lost. What was the mistake I did?

• Lose my concentration: I was under heavy pressure and lost my concentration. The audience was waiting strikes from me and I was thinking about them not my game. It was the final. There was no return. I knew it, however I made panic. I could not control my excitement and could not play my real game.
• Cannot adapt myself: All my shots were going over the second arrow and they were missing the first pin all the time. I could not change my start position or the bowl’s hitting point to overcome this. I don’t know why.
• Trusting myself: I did not trust myself. I always started walking in hesitation. I did not think my steps, my direction or the hitting point. My spare performance was under %30. I could not see the line that takes bowl to the pin. Bowling is a mental game. It starts in your brain. Last night, I forgot about it.
  
• Lack of practicing: Practicing practicing practicing. It makes you comfortable. You can say: “I can do it. Because, I did it 1000 times before”.
  

So, to be a tournament player is not easy. Do not limit them for bowling or other sports. IMHO, they can be applicable to the whole life.

I need to think about them for the next time and of course I’ll keep on working in this period. For now, it is good to be a silver medalist.

I have recently watched the movie Kung Fu Panda. The movie is great and enjoyable. I think, it is one of the “must see” movies ever.

The story is about a lazy and fat panda called Po. His dream is to be a “Kung Fu” master even if it seems impossible. Nobody belives that Po can save their village and defeats the treacherous leopard Tai Lung. He cannot be the “Dragon Warrior”. However, everybody is wrong. Po’s dreams come to real when he noticed the “idea” and he succeeded.

In fact the “idea” is simple:

• Belive yourself before you start anything
• Work hard for the success with your own methods
• Do not lose your passion and belief ever

You can do what ever you want as Po did. The thing is discovering the power inside you and releasing it…