STAYING IN THE GAME

How to be your own coach

- PRAKASH AMRITRAJ

We get up in the morning feeling tired. Sometimes we feel good, sometimes we feel bad, but we gotta go through it with feeling. That’s the root to the truth, that’s where everything starts.” —Bundini Brown

These words are particularly apt for this challenging time we’re all facing.

Muhammad Ali’s cornerman, sometimes writer and, most of all, hype man, Drew “Bundini” Brown was famous for bringing positivity, perspective and that much-needed fire throughout Ali’s career, especially when Ali needed it most. The GOAT kept him in his corner for a great part of his career as Bundini brought tremendous value. That’s the same kind of emphasis the rest of us need to place on positivity and uplifting ourselves, especially in the middle of a pandemic.

Perhaps now is the time to learn how to be our own Bundini Brown.

This lockdown period has caused many across the world to feel isolated. We’re not exchanging our energies with others like we used to. In turn, this has led to feelings of inadequacy. Some of us have faced more conflict in our relationships – whether romantic or within the family. There’s been a loss of motivation and a drop in productivity. Social systems the world over have proven to be broken.

With so much negativity all around, constantly permeating our spirits, we must acknowledge Bundini’s sentiment about feeling all our feelings. The emotional ups and downs will come; even the greatest are not immune to it. And, the tougher the times, the wilder the roller coaster.