A Game of Patience
Current mood: calm
Everyday you learn something new. Today gave me a lesson in understanding the importance of patience, and it came from the most unlikely source. So there’s this videogame that we play, called “NBA LIVE 2005”, which is essentially a basketball simulation game on nintendo’s gamecube. It plays and feels like a real basketball game at your fingertips. Anyway, all of us @ imrie suite play this game, in fact we recently started a tournament. I always used to pride myself in being one of the best at this game, but recently I’ve been in a slump. I had lost 4 out of 10 games going into tonight’s matchup against Shwin and felt a little nervous, because last time we played one another, he had beaten me. I knew that I had to come out with my “A” game. So I began to brainstorm and think of a gameplan. I thought of my previous losses, and I noticed that in all games that I lost, I was shooting very poorly. We’re talking below 20 percent. I also realized that a lot of my shots were careless shots. I’ve noticed a common trend among most losing efforts, (even those aside from me) and one of the biggest culprits in a loss is frustration. Let’s take Nate for instance. Nate has been known for being very passionate and emotional when playing NBA. So passionate that at times when he’s losing, he vocalizes his frustrations during games. Lines like, “These teams aren’t fair.” “This game is cheap”. “This isn’t a simulation.” “This controller sucks.” “That’s such B.S.” start to make their way into the gaming atmosphere. What I’ve noticed, is the frustration usually marks the end of his game. Whenever he is being dominated, it’s as if the world starts to crumble around him and he becomes almost helpless. Then all he can do is complain about how and why the world is crumbling around him, as opposed to what can be done to prevent the disaster. It becomes a domino effect. His shots become rushed, careless turnovers are made. Most of his plays are done in haste, in a sort of retaliation to the opponent’s good play, or in an attempt to “even the score” as quickly as possible. However, in most cases, this method has proven ineffective, and unfortunately for Nate, a lost cause. Not to single out Nate, but Nate started out this season 2-0 but since has fallen to 4-6. In fact, after a disappointing loss today, Nate prematurely decided (most likely out of frustration) that he is forfeiting the rest of the season. Even though, he probably didn’t mean it, that’s when I decided to try an experiment. I knew that all of us, not just Nate, fall victim to this same frustration through extended stretches of losing. Christian, who had the best record going into today, lost to Shwin, who had the worst record. Reason for loss? I suspect it was due to careless play down the stretch in reaction to a heightened level of play from the opponent. So, going into my matchup against Shwin, I kept in mind the importance of patience and made a solemn vow to myself; to never show frustration for the duration of the game. I wanted to keep playing hard, take it one play at a time, and be smart about each play. When we started the game, Shwin jumped to a 12 point lead. I thought that it were the end of me, as i felt the frustration just screaming to be let out. I thought, “How in the world could I be down by 12 points this early in the game?? I better show him who’s boss!!” The tendency was there. I was ready to take my frustrations out on the game. I wanted to run and gun it, regardless of what the defense presented. Instead, I took a step back, collected myself, and kept playing hard. Most importantly, I became focused, and content that no matter how much i would lose by, I had at least put my best foot forward. As the final horn sounded, a glance at the outcome displayed that I had beaten Shwin by 30 points. I shot over 60 percent, and the win earned myself the best current record in the league @ 7-4. Now I know it’s just a video game, but the understanding and exercise of patience through various obstacles can prove critical for success in any situation. Applying these functions to real life situations can only be beneficial. So thank you, NBA LIVE 2005, for teaching me a valuable life lesson.
