ejmoosa

Someone's Getting Their Ass Kicked Tonight...

Someone is getting their ass kicked tonight and it better not be me. I have had my ass kicked so many times the last several years, physically and emotionally, and to be honest, I have grown tired of it. I have trained my feet off running mile after mile, only to show up on race day, doubting if I could finish. I always have. Where that thought comes from, I have an idea, but that is for later.

I have started cycling over the last two years, and know that I have become stronger, strong enough to tackle two century rides, and yet I still will not commit to group rides, for this inate fear of failure. That is going to end now.

I have had my ass kicked emotionally. End of that story.

And I have had my ass kicked in ALTA tennis for a long time running now. I have been the one on the team to play with just about a different partner each week. Make no mistake, I have never been that good at tennis. But I work hard. I hustle. I play each and every shot as if it might be the last I make. Ever.

Something happens though in those matches. I lose focus. I start daydreaming. I kick the hell out of myself for making errors. The truth of the matter is that you can make a ton of errors and win IF you kick their ass when the opponents make the errors they will make.

But when I take the court tonight, you need to know I am going to kick your ass. You might win. We still need to decide that outcome. But you will not intimidate me with your incredibly powerful serve. You will not hurt me at the net. You will not scare me into hitting chicken-shit tennis shots. Go ahead and try.

You see I am tired of losing. And I know that half of my losses are because the other guys are just better. But half are also because I am afraid of doing my best. Well, that is a thing of the past too. So I am going to hit my shots, and if I miss it, then I do. But I will try it again with the very next ball. And harder. Soon, you will realize that I am NOT giving up. Not on any point. Not on any game. Not on any ball.

So bring your A game. Challenge me. Give me your best. I will never be in the box with two out in the ninth playing in the major leagues. But I will be on the court with three others, and it will count just as much.

So bring it on. And be ready to have your ass kicked.

posted by EJ @ 8:32 PM