Control Yourself

In the book “The Obstacle Is the Way,” author Ryan Holiday explains when the first astronauts were trained to enter into space, one skill was emphasized more than any other—to not panic…to control emotions.

Scared, nervous, agitated, panicked, afraid, overreacting—all words that describe when we are not in control of our emotions.  When we panic, we often stray away from our plans, we ignore policies, procedures, and rules.  Then, what happens...MISTAKES.  Our thinking becomes cloudy, and we do not react how we would like or want to.  So, how do we control emotions?

In officiating and as with many aspects of our lives, we plan to the smallest detail.  However, even in our best preparation, something (maybe many things) will happen that does NOT go according to plan—ball boys do not listen and perform as they should, coaches complain about leaving the field in the wrong order, weather causes a delay, clock operators don’t show up on time, etc.  Even if we have the best plans, we have to be prepared to adjust.

How did NASA prepare astronauts to stay calm?  Panic was “trained out” of them.  NASA re-created the launch day as it should go.  The astronauts would go thru these mock launch days over-and-over again with no mistakes.  But, then, NASA introduced various problems to train the panic out the astronauts and to help remove uncertainty.

Much should be the same for officials.  The more we can prepare and train by learning from our mistakes and the mistakes of others --grader evaluations, rules study, video review, pregame crew meetings, and watching other officials-- the more we can remove uncertainty and panic--or, at least, stay calm when it happens. 

Ecclesiastes 10:4:  If the anger of the ruler rises against you, do not leave your place, for calmness will lay great offenses to rest.

In the face of obstacles, the writer of Ecclesiastes challenges us to stand firm, stay calm, and put to rest the obstacle we are facing.  Fight the urge to panic and focus on what we can change with the task we are facing.  Obstacles make us emotional.  So, the key to overcoming obstacles is to keep emotions in-check—staying steady no matter the situation.

Focus energy on solving problems, defeat emotions with logic—reasoning.

                                                                             Credit:  “The Obstacle Is the Way”, Ryan Holiday