Concentration

Everyone knows that tennis is as much a physical game as it is a mental game. You need to focus your mental effort on strategy and placement and timing and movement, all while positioning and setting up the eventual (you hope) winning point. Concentration in tennis is as paramount as flour in a cake batter. Without concentration, you might miss the ball completely. It can be like that in life too. 

Have you ever played the card game Concentration? My kids love this game of skill and memory, and it forces them to focus on both the little picture and the big picture. They have to take mental pictures and tap into their memories, often as you have to do in a tennis match. It's amazing how much our minds can remember! Sometimes so much time passes and memories fade. Other times, even the smallest details of memorable times in our lives are clearly painted in our minds. And even if we don't always recall the exact situation in detail, we still remember how we felt. When I was a child, a large dog tried to jump up at me outside our church one Sunday. I was so concentrated on how scared I felt in that moment that I missed the reason for the enthusiastic dog's behavior. That lovable dog was simply being friendly. To this day, I am afraid of dogs. It seems irrational, but that feeling has stuck with me. Perhaps I've concentrated TOO much on the fear factor when it comes to dealing with dogs. Can too much concentration impair our ability to perform, to cope, to live our full lives? Yes, I believe it can. There has to be a balance, not just a laser-focused approach to most things in life.

Lately, I've been trying hard to focus---to really concentrate on one thing at a time. I sometimes fall into the trap of big-picture thinking without realizing it. I feel like I am being pulled in so many directions, and they all happen at the same time. I actually really enjoy this multi-tasking lifestyle but know that I need to focus my full attention on what's most important NOW. At times, the biggest challenge is just concentrating on one area of my life. I tend to get ahead of myself and begin worrying about the future. From experience, I know this accomplishes nothing. So, like the card game, I wonder how you can flip over some cards, then return to them later when you're ready. How do you take into account where certain cards are placed while still concentrating on only one pair of cards? Balance your priorities. When you feel yourself losing your concentration, take a step back. Pray about it. Journal. Talk to your friends. Get some fresh perspectives. If you can only see the big picture, your concentration isn't where it should be. I am learning this with my kids. My 6 year old is motivated to try new projects almost on a daily basis. He imagines all these wonderful projects, including writing and illustrating his own stories. His mind is concentrated on the big picture so much that he misses the point of his motivation in the first place. He reaches for match point without even taking a set. I think this is something we're all guilty of--not necessarily looking for shortcuts, but concentrating on the wrong areas at the wrong time.

In tennis, a match is naturally paced with points, games and sets. The game itself is set up to keep you focused on just one point at a time, even though in your mind you may be panicking about losing a set. Concentration is the key to keeping your mind literally "in" the point. It's hard to do that when you have a responsibility to other people---your spouse, kids, friends, bosses, neighbors. You can try to concentrate on one thing, while the back of your mind is loaded with a to-do list or worried thoughts. It is hard, but POSSIBLE. Concentrate on what you can. Give it your all. Be solid in your focus. At the very least, you can say you were mentally there. You didn't miss the ball.