The Search For Enlightenment

Apart from being delighted that England squeaked past Ukraine, the Euro 2012 co-hosts, tonight, I was very pleased to see that Wayne Rooney had a pretty good game. Young Wayne has been a bit of a loose cannon in the past, but tonight he got the winner and kept his cool, despite having only recently returned from a rather long lay-off due to injury.

I’m not suggesting that Rooney’s more relaxed demeanour has anything to do with Buddhist practice, but I have to say that mine has been hugely influenced by my own faith. Being calm and collected, particularly under pressure is not only rather important, but also hugely satisfying.

The old saying about keeping your head when all about you are losing theirs is absolutely true. If you allow circumstances to get the better of you, lose your temper or focus, you will almost certainly regret it later. But staying in control not only makes a good outcome more likely, but will also leave you feeling confident.

So next time you get into a confrontation, or find yourself under pressure, take a few seconds to become more self-aware and check any natural tendencies to get angry or emotional. It takes practice, but the effort will pay benefits time after time after time.