I remember a feeling of immersion and joy in those glorious seasons of my secret league.  My next sport was bathroom floor tennis. We had square tiles in our bathroom and I would spend way too much time playing imaginary Wimbledon and U.S. Open matches. My mother would have been relieved to know what was really going on in there. Basketball was next, one on none, I would create thrilling finish after thrilling finish. I fell in love with sport in those days of innocence.

Then I began sports participation in the”real world”. I played football, basketball, volleyball, surfing, baseball, and Tennis. My skill, talent, and competitive levels were very high. My coping skills were less than to be desired.  The pressure of competitive athletics on a young person can help to build strong character and self esteem. It can also lead to misguided coping skills and a false sense of self connected to the outcome of an event or a career for that matter. Fear based ego comparison became my coping skill. When I won, I was king of the world, when I lost I was a loser! The habitual projected pressure of this behavior was, In hindsight, the main reason for an athletic career that can only be characterized as unfulfilled promise.

Becoming a student, a motivator, and a teacher has been my saving grace. Through the honest desire to help my students I have found purpose and clarity in my life. I began to see myself in my students. I began to see clearly what worked and what did not work in the arena of sport and life. My experience with sport has truly been a spiritual path. I have had a revelation of the divine. Love is what attracted me to sport; the love of movement, the love of flow, and the love of spirited competition. I believe with conviction that a conscious connection to this Love is critical to consistent peak performance in sport and life.

Bill Howie