In a short video, Ryan Holiday lists, the many things an amateur or professional athlete doesn’t control.

In the end, there is only one thing they do control: “how they play.”

Among the many things, one doesn’t control is the outcome.

None of their actions have a predictable outcome when they imagined it and did it.

Controlling how one plays isn’t describing how to get to an outcome, it is an invitation to remain aware of how one approaches playing, may it be in the game, during training, or the many other moments in life contributing to our well-being while playing.

It’s about being focused on what one does.

The other option is to let oneself be distracted by the things one doesn’t control.

Before throwing all the distractions overboard, it pays to become aware of how they are creeping into one’s focus and transforming how one plays. Much less helpful is to review how they are mishaps we are victims to, or the way other people behave badly towards us. That’s costing energy and focus. Even more so when it is part of a pattern we repeat.

It’s maybe worth mentioning that controlling how to play isn’t about doing it right. That would be distracting oneself with an idea of how it should be done. Controlling how one plays is choosing how one plays.

Leaders choose how they lead.