I am the master of my fate: I am the captain of my soul.

Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

– Invictus by William Ernest Henley

Of Nadal, Federer, Ronaldo, Messi…

Disclaimer: If you are not a sport lover, you may not enjoy it as much.. feel free to comment with questions though!

Watching Cristiano Ronaldo in full cry on a football field is quite a sight. He torments defenders with his pace, trickery and aerial strength. Watching Messi is a different experience altogther – we still have pace, trickery but also witness genuine footballing intelligence.

If we had to think of 2 similar figures in tennis, it would be Nadal and Federer. Nadal taking the Ronaldo spot, while Federer taking the Messi..

While I’ve always been a supporter of Ronaldo(he’s ex-Man Utd after all and was made at Carrington), I know that Messi will probably stand the test of time and probably have a longer career than Ronaldo. It’s not because of his arrogance or any such thing, it is just because Ronaldo is a born athlete, Messi is a born football player. And that makes all the difference in the world..

The day will arrive when Ronaldo is 30 and will not be able to summon that lethal pace, while Messi’s intelligence would still be intact. It’s similar with Nadal.. Every fan of Federer has great respect for the man, his fighting spirit is second to none. The day will soon arrive when Nadal won’t be able to summon that dogged determination.. he can’t be a human express train for ever. The cracks are showing..

While in the case of Federer, he would have his lows – he is already no longer invincible, but on his day, he would still be unplayable thanks to his class.

There would be examples like this in every sport. I’m still looking for a life’s lesson – what I’ve understood is that, maybe when we choose a way of life, it should not be something we can just pull off when we are young – there needs to be a balance of short term and long term thinking..

for eg: we could make lots of money with a job that takes 20 hours of our life.. but is it worth being burnt out?

Where can you and I be ‘class’, ageless and timeless..?

Just as an additional note as a Man Utd and Alex Ferguson fan: For all those critics of Dimitar Berbatov of Man Utd, he would still play his languid stylish game when he is 35.. and that is why, at 27, he was worth every one of those millions paid.. :)

Attitude and Spirals..

Attitude and positivity often moves in spirals..

When good things happen, they keep spiralling up till a point where we feel we can practically achieve anything. Then, all of a sudden, life hits back and shows us who’s boss and we fall a peg or two. This is generally combined with similar circumstances and suddenly we are staring at the ground all over again..

(Also, reflective of the economy as stocks and shares are based on feeling as well..)

The difference in the attitude of winners is that while there are phases of ‘lows’ per se, they do not let their confidence spiral all the way to the bottom.. Basically, the higher the lowest point of the spiral, the better we are. That’s why Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo in football, Jordan’s and Bryant’s of basketball are where they are.. incredible self belief in picking themselves up.

This fluctuation happens even more so in our teenage when we are susceptible to emotions.. and I guess I’m finding myself in a phase of growing up where I’m learning not to get too high on the highs(even though it is tempting when I feel like I am king of the world.. haha) because I am going to get hit – that’s a fact.. atleast it’ll make the fall softer and the rise easier..

Important to have a base which is right in the middle.. and that base, in my understanding and interpretation, comes from a strong value system..

Again, it’s just a viewpoint.