To be here, writing this, and for you to be here, reading this, we are all blessed with life. Some people experience life in a different way, others live a less fortunate life than most, and so each day it is important to reflect on the fortunate life that you live. Having food in your cupboards, clothes in your drawer, water in your taps, a roof over your head; having either of these things leaves you in the higher percentage of fortunate people around the world. It is important to not take advantage of this. Make the most of the opportunity you have been given, to wake up every day and truly experience life. Justify why you were given the chance to live the life you have been blessed with. Don’t waste it, when there are so many people around the world who wish they were in your shoes, and had your opportunities.
I was given a gentle reminder earlier last week about the life that I am lucky to live. I was involved in the presentation of medals at the National Summer Games – Special Olympics NZ. Before anyone jumps to conclusions, I am not taking anything away from these incredible athletes, their abilities, their appreciation for life and their ability to live life without inhibitions. What these athletes reminded me was that life is lived everyday by other people in different capacities. These humans also have a chance to play a sport they love, interact with their friends, and experience the feelings of jubilation and despair. All of these are just experienced in a different capacity.
Maybe what these humans experience is considered the fortunate life? I’m not here to make comparisons, I am just here to spread a message.
My message is for everyone in this world to be more appreciative of your abilities, opportunities, and experiences you have or are offered, because not everyone in this world is offered similar. No matter your situation, no matter your frustrations, I believe that it is important to sometimes take a step back from a frustrating situation to reflect and remember how fortunate you really are. Take a lesson from these athletes and live life without inhibitions. Don’t do things for the recognition of others, do things for yourself, and live life to the fullest capacity that you have been blessed with.
When I look at the bigger picture, my ability to play football has given me so much. It has given me the chance to travel the world, it has given me the chance to inspire others, it has given me the chance to meet so many people from different cultures. I wake up each day reflecting on how lucky I am to have a new chance, and a new opportunity to make the most of the day I have been gifted. I am physically capable of playing a sport I love, intellectually capable to converse with others, and consciously capable to know that today is a gift, and I am fortunate to live it.
Your family, friends, colleagues, teammates, classmates, they all view the world in a different way to you. Individual perspectives and opinions create diversity and without this diversity, our world would be one sided and boring. No this isn’t about conflict, this is about each individual having something to believe in, something to live for through what they see. This is about people taking a step back before making judgement and looking at someones situation from a different lens to your own; perspective taking. It’s about putting yourself in someone else’s shoes for a second and allowing them to be them, and believe in what they believe.
or difference, but with a little empathy, we all have the ability to step back and just respect what others see and let them embrace their perspective. With this empathetic understanding of others opinions, we will still have our diverse world with individual perspectives, however embracing this difference instead of creating conflict will lead to a more peaceful world.
Each and every individual has the ability to learn, about themselves, about their environments, about this world, it is whether or not the individual is open and willing to learning. As previously mentioned in my ‘
arn. Learning and understanding how our style of play is to counter the oppositions, however we learned a harsh lesson in our game, and that was that of the desire and will to win. Although we had a game plan which we had learned, we only partially executed it, but the greatest let down was our desire to win. It is a lesson that we need to learn as we continue to strive for the levels of performance that we expect from ourselves. Back to training this week to grow from it and put things right this coming week.
We live in a world that is so fast paced and technological that we all expect things almost instantaneously after going in search for them. Not often do we see individuals working hard, and every day continuing to persevere along a path for something they really want, instead often taking the easy way towards something comfortable and familiar.
I have patiently waited for nearly two years to see my father again, and I was reunited with him this weekend as he came up to watch my game. Although we FaceTime each week, nothing beats seeing loved ones in person and enjoying their character and being in close proximity! It was a special weekend and I was very fortunate to spend time with him, especially after the journey and experiences I have had in the last two years!
So often with failure, we look elsewhere to place blame, and even when we do understand that it is our own making, rarely do we truly process why we are failing, or even if it is considered to be failing. Identifying what part of the process failed and recognizing it for the next time you are in the situation is very important to making progress. It is also an individuals response to failure that truly sets them apart from others. How you react, in any situation is a huge dictator of character, and with failure specifically, it separates the strong from the weak, the motivated from the unmotivated. Success does not happen without failure, so embrace the challenge to better yourself, to keep persevering, knowing that one day, your greatest failures will lead to your greatest successes.
As opportunities come, most of them come with a change in environment. Now going from a place where you have been settled and comfortable to a brand new place can be a daunting task for anyone, anywhere. Often times, opportunities take you to a new place with no one you know, or where nothing seems familiar, but the unknown side of an opportunity is what should add to the excitement of it. Embrace the unknown, knowing that this new environment will soon become friendly and familiar to whatever you may be doing. Adapt to change with patience and trust, and then make the environment your own.
What a feeling it is to be back in New Zealand though. There is just something about the freshness of the air, the song of the birds, and the blue of the ocean that just cannot be beaten anywhere in the world. In the days that I have been here, I have experienced the various weather patterns Wellington has to offer, its wild wind, but also its stunning summer weather. Lets hope there is more warm summer days than blustery wet days in the coming months.
The past 18 months since I graduated from Quinnipiac University have been an adventure to say the least. There were many great experiences had during this time, along with many great challenges and learning experiences. I developed many abilities in this period of growth and development. I met many great people who challenged me to be better every day. And I truly believe that wherever I went, and whoever I met, I left a positive impact on them or their environment. I aim to make the world a better place, and I made a point to show my desire to do so during these adventures.
I believe the time was right to return to New Zealand to further progress as a person and football player. The opportunity presented was an attractive one for so many aspects of my life, one that I believe will progress me as a person and a football player. I have bought into a culture of professionalism and excellence along with a set team identity and it will give me a greater purpose in my football, something that has often lacked at the previous teams I was with. I am very excited for the opportunities that lay ahead, along with reconnecting with many old friends and influencers, and getting to further explore the beautiful country that New Zealand is.
By being present, I was not worried about the future, what might or might not happen, I was fully engaged in each day, in each moment. Being present allowed me to enjoy my interactions with people a lot more, enjoying their company and truly engaging in the conversations I had. Being present allowed me to enjoy the beauty of nature around me as the autumn leaves begin to fall and the orange and yellow leaves brighten the hillsides. Being present allowed me to focus fully on my training, the exercises or drills that I was doing and the challenges and developmental aspects it was offering. Being present allowed me to enjoy the moments, the moments that so many people let pass by them because their focus is elsewhere.
Saturday was the perfect opportunity to be present and focus on those specific moments that were presented. It was a crucial game for us, we win and we would would be confirmed safe in Division two for next season. We lose and there is still a chance to be relegated, so there was a lot riding on the game. The only thing that myself and my team mates could control was our game and our result, and we took full control of it in the third minute and never looked back. Off our first corner of the game we scored. Ten minutes later we doubled that lead, and five minutes before half time, it was 3-0. While keeping our focus and control, we could now enjoy the second half, play some nice football and and take the important 3 points home, and we did just that. Scoring once more to complete the win, 4-0. A great moment for the team and the club. Our long bus ride home was a very enjoyable and relaxing one having achieved what we set out to do, and we could enjoy the moments with each other.
And then later in the afternoon, Grant, Libby and myself enjoyed a lovely drive up the valley and across the border into another ski town in Norway called Trysil. The drive was lovely, winding along the river and lake with the trees changing colors. I was grateful to be able to breathe in the fresh brisk air while casting my eyes upon a wonderful mountain and surrounding nature, not worrying about what might happen tomorrow or next week, because that is out of my control. I was simply living in the now!
Your life is made up of choices. You make choices for yourself, how you behave and act, how you impact society, how you impact the world, how you simply live. Whether visible or not, not only do your choices impact yourself, but they also have an impact on others, it is your choice what type of impact that may be. The most important thing to remember is that you and only you are in control of your choices, and therefore your life. No one else can make choices for you, no one else can live your life for you.
My Swedish experience was improved this week because of two different people I worked for. Firstly, I am continually impressed by their ability to speak English, thankfully, or else conversations would be pretty rough. Because of this, the conversations I had with the people I worked for were enriching. I learned a lot from these people about their history, about the region, and about Swedish culture. I keep getting told about the great things to do here in winter, unfortunately my visa will not allow for me to stay that long, but maybe one day in the future. I was also very thankful for the interest they took in me and my journey, my story. I love sharing my story to those who are interested and hope that they can take something away from it.
Recognizing and acknowledging all the little things around, allow me to be more present in the moment, appreciating each moment for what it is, and not taking it for granted. Often times, people get so caught up in life that they really cannot stop to smell the roses, but it doesn’t even have to be that. Recognizing a fresh breeze across your face, seeing someone smile, being able to walk and breathe comfortably, are just a few little things that many people take for granted and these should be some of the things that so many people should express gratitude for. Being grateful can lead to one expressing more gratitude, to yourself, to your friends, to your surroundings, and that can truly have a big impact on ones well being. Try it some day, reach out to a friend and express your gratitude for them, or just stop one day and take a deep breath of fresh air and let a smile run across your face. Slowly but surely, gratitude can become part of your character if you experience and express it enough. It all starts with one grateful thought or action!
I was very grateful this week that on our bus trip to our game, the driver stopped for our break in a lovely spot along Vänern, the largest lake in Sweden. It was a great place to relax and eat our pre match meal while enjoying beautiful views of the water and its surroundings. This allowed me to head into our game with a clear and focused mind. I was able to control my emotions throughout the game, although things certainly weren’t going our teams way. There were many challenges including a very wet and muddy pitch, however I was pleased with how I played, and more importantly how I controlled my emotions throughout. IK Gauthiod won 3-1 to keep themselves right in the title hunt and for the promotion, and they certainly played like it. A great level of competition, but unfortunately our team wasn’t up for the challenge. 
Sunday dawned a new day, and our reserve team was playing their second to last game of the season. A comfortable 4-0 win allowed them to be crowned league champions leading to promotion to division 5. A great achievement for the team and club. I was able to get a good long ice bath in, as well as foam roll and mobility while watching a convincing Manchester United victory. Sunday well spent.