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Profound loss
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yaro@yaro.blog
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Sun, Sep 25, 2022 08:05 PM
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Over the weekend Roger Federer retired from tennis. His final match was a pairing with Rafael Nadal,
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Over the weekend Roger Federer retired from tennis. His final match was a pairing with Rafael Nadal, Fed's long time rival, but this time partner in doubles at the Laver Cup. After the match was over, something expected happened -- Federer sat down and began to cry. Then something less expected happened. Nadal began to cry as well. Watching Federer sobbing uncontrollably, with Nadal crying along with him -- even [holding hands at one point]( -- and later the other tennis icon of this era, Novak Djokovic, lose it too when Fed said 'love you buddy', hit me hard. [Federe, Nadal, Djokovic] I'm slightly older than Fed. I went through my twenties and thirties with Fed right along there with me whenever I watched tennis. I grew up as he crafted one of the best tennis careers of all time - and unbeknownst to him, kicked off what would become the golden era of men's tennis, which frankly I don't believe will ever be repeated again. Seeing the beginning of the end of the golden era with the man who started it retiring, brought up a sense of profound loss. It's not because of the tennis. Tennis is a sport, it's fun and entertaining, but I've always enjoyed the humans who play the sport more than the sport itself. Watching the inevitable ending of something you grew up with, when a special person concludes a career, with his main rivals emotionally feeling the loss along with him, knowing they will soon leave as well -- is heartbreaking. It's heartbreaking because ending is inevitable for all of us. We all climb mountains until eventually we can't anymore. We turn back, see others who are climbing along behind us, knowing one day they will stop too. We look forward, see those climbing ahead of us, some falling, never to continue. Carlos Alcaraz at 19, from Spain, just won the US Open. He's starting up the tennis mountain. How far he goes we don't know, but much like the first time Nadal won the French Open, you have to ponder -- How good is this guy? How many slams can he win? In 20 years, or less, we will say good bye to Carlos at the end of a career and have an answer to that question. The cycle continues. All of this reminds me that while we climb our own personal mountains, there is a fragility, a sense of momentary magic that must be respected, that we must acknowledge and have gratitude for. Much like the passing of a butterfly with all its beauty, which will be dead and gone in a mere few days, we must take joy in the toil of our own achievement, for one day soon, our era will end, as all eras do. Slow Down... There's a mantra I've been silently saying lately. I tell myself to slow down. I do this because so often I feel a sense of urgency, a frustration mixed with anticipation. This in many ways sums up the emotional state of the entrepreneur. We're excited about what we are building, but we're impatient for results. Each step forward is satisfying, yet there is always so much more to do. Like a tennis career, we must be reminded that building a business is not forever. You will stop. You're not sure how, or when, but there will be an end. Embrace the struggle, celebrate tiny victories, and take comfort in the work that is still to be done. Yaro --
yaro@yaro.blog Blog Mastermind Ltd
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Pointe-Claire, QC,
H9R5W5, CANADA
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