Nurturing Your Accountability
You can't control the outcome, but you can control your effort.’ Christine Sinclair
As the summer of 2024 arrives, it welcomes events such as the Tour de France, the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris and soccer matches at the European Championships in Germany (a.k.a. football or fútbol)! Millions gather to cheer on their favorite team and athletes. We bond with passion in grand stadiums, local venues and at home with loved ones. We unite and anticipate the celebration of sweet victory. It's a ‘personal best’ vibe. We support the athlete’s dedication and draw inspiration towards our own personal best. If your passion lies elsewhere, it's an opportunity to learn the history or rules of a sport from your favorite enthusiast! It’s a chance to engage in fun conversation and healthy comparison, because sport like no other, mimics life.
Accountability helps nurture our wins! It comes with some type of contract we are expected to fulfill. Nurturing accountability can be like playing in a soccer match. We make a choice to commit to a team and all the responsibilities that come with it. It takes effort, but strategies can get easier with a clearer vision. It unites us and creates memories that last a lifetime. When I was a kid my Dad coached soccer with his best friend, Eddie Scott. Their love of the game united them. They enjoyed coaching and giving back to their community for many years. I played baseball in summer, but always wanted to hang out with my Dad and Eddie’s daughter Nadia, so I took on the role of oranges. Before each game, I would cut the oranges into 4 wedges. I’d tie the bag nice and tight, all ready to be ripped open at halftime by a bunch of worn-out players waiting to be replenished. I took responsibility for this role all on my own. No one asked me to be the orange girl, but game after game I chose to be accountable and took on the responsibility. I continued the tradition and coached my son’s team for many years with other parents. I connected with my Dad in spirit every time I cut the oranges!
The clearer vision I have, the easier it is for me to be accountable.
Accountability builds healthy pressure. If I can see it, I can do it, regardless of what seems blocked. The clearer vision I have, the easier it is for me to be accountable. I can see where opportunity starts to fall into place and it triggers my positive wins. A ‘yes or no’ decision is easier to answer and I start to see the goal before it happens. A clear vision can defend your gut instinct and your dream! I’m more aware of how possibilities can play out and I can see where the gaps are. In soccer, this looks like breaking free of a scramble and taking control of the ball. If I’m passing the ball in front of the net (in the box) it’s called a ‘cross’. A good cross scores a goal and creates ‘healthy drama’ on the field for the spectators! In England, a field is called a ‘pitch’. When a player gets a free kick on the pitch the opposing team lines up in a wall formation to stop the ball getting close to the net. If you are up against a wall of accountability how can you visualize the play?
There is no accountability without a little competition. Coaches collaborate with their team on a game plan before the match but there are variables in play. Sport, like life, can be unpredictable. Dips in physical and mental capacity can be like coming up against a strong defense. Defenders play an important role. Their job is to make you dip and lose the ball without getting a foul or a yellow card. You're up against ‘Team Ego’ and they want to stop you from scoring that goal. It’s in these moments accountability forces you to show what you are made of. How bad do you want the win, or the “W” as sports fans call it. It calls on your ‘performance’ energy, discipline and focus on the present moment.
Accountability can feel like you are competing for time and solutions. At the end of a match, added or ‘stoppage’ time is allotted for interruptions in the game. The stoppage includes injuries, fan disruption, penalties, free kicks and substitutions. It’s the last push of the match and the commentators are at full volume! When do we allow for stoppage time? A ‘half-time’ break in a soccer match is used to evaluate the game and find solutions when necessary. When overloaded with responsibility, I account for my extra-time. If your accountability is feeling judged (by you or others) figure out where your extra time is going or if you’re ready for half-time!
Accountability is the next tier up in the league of life. It challenges our mental resilience. It’s not often praised and forces us to make use of our resources and define our roles. Our inner accountable athlete asks questions only we can answer.
Are you the coach or competitor? The spectator or the player? It can challenge our expectations, open doors to self-belief and windows of self-judgment. It waives quitting the game when the game doesn’t want to quit you. It helps reach the understanding you are not playing the match to show coaches what you can do anymore. You are playing the match because you are meant to be playing it. When that mindset shift happens you can defend a trophy, reach for a gold medal and live a life of fulfillment on any level of play. Enjoy the journey and all the relationships and knowledge you nurture through the love of sport!
Thank you to my son, Dylan, for sharing his expertise on the game of soccer with me for this article. I’m so happy to continue watching the soccer matches with you, as I did growing up with your Opa. He’s watching and cheering both of us on!
Ginny Connon is a Certified Coach, Well-Being Influencer and a member of the Director’s Guild of Canada. Listen to Ginny Connon Nurturing on Apple Podcasts. Visit www.ginnyconnon.com to find previous articles, podcasts, links to upcoming events and purchases.
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