If you don’t know by now, I’m a massive sports, in particular, football fan. I’ve always found it fascinating how most people, sports and football fans included, think that it’s easy to be a sports professional/athlete when in reality it’s not easy at all. I’ve always maintained the perspective and belief that it must be incredibly challenging, and difficult full of sacrifices that most of us wouldn’t make.
Take an athlete’s training schedule for example, they work out and train more times in a week than the average joe would in a month and dare I say a year, then have the audacity to call them out and give abuse on social media. Then, you have to take into consideration all of the family sacrifices, travel, and so on. It’s not as easy as you think!
Sure, those at the highest level get paid more than handsomely. That isn’t and hasn’t been my point. My point is that it’s a lot harder than most of us give them credit for, and as Joel Green, a former athlete turned entrepreneur and author, shares with me most athletes know what they’re signing up for when it comes to sacrifices. What is ever-growing in our culture over the last 10+ years is the consistent abuse from certain sections of the media, and key-board warriors online.
During my conversation with Joel, he shared his journey of being a pro athlete, transitioning into entrepreneurship and writing a book. He shares the pain and challenges that experienced as a pro athlete and how he used them as opportunities for transformation and growth. His valuable insights can help us all learn how to navigate difficult situations.
One of the key concepts Joel discusses is the idea of filtering. He explains that by breaking down problems and challenges into smaller, more manageable pieces, we can gain a clearer understanding of their circumstances and find ways to overcome them. This method allows us to approach our pain and struggles with a fresh perspective, enabling us to find strength and grow consciously from these experiences.
Joel’s book, “Filtering: The Way to Extract Strength from the Struggle,” is a guide that delves deeper into the principles of filtering. He shares personal strategies that he has developed over the years to help us navigate our own challenges. Through his book, Joel aims to empower individuals to shift their mindset and view pain not as something to be avoided, but as a catalyst for personal and professional growth.
Throughout Joel’s journey, self-awareness and self-reflection have been huge for him to become successful at both his sport and now in business. We discuss how individuals can examine their challenges and triggers to learn the lessons they need to learn to develop a deeper understanding of themselves and lead to personal transformation and success.
We address a common misconception that pain and suffering are synonymous when they’re not. Pain is the initial phase, while suffering is a prolonged state that can be overcome with the right mindset and perspective. By shifting our focus from suffering to finding purpose and growth in our pain, we can transcend our challenges and move towards a more fulfilling and successful life no matter what we do.
It’s this mindset, a filtering mindset, that has propelled Joel and countless other athletes around the globe to be who they are, and achieve what they have achieved. We all can learn to adopt this mindset and be curious about how these widely successful people how got to where they are, instead of hurdling abuse that oversteps the mark. This is my hope, as through adopting this mindset we can learn to face our challenges with resilience and determination.
