Excellence in Sports--A Holistic Perspective

What makes a great athlete great? According to the hosts of the sports talk show on WEEI it is the ability to see the whole field, or the whole court. Talking about how great a basketball player LeBron James is, they pointed out that what made him so great is that he can see the whole playing court, see all that is going on, during the game.

The hosts then pointed out that that was what made Tom Brady, winner of three Super Bowls, such a great quarterback. Brady has the ability to see down the field and comprehend everything that is taking place in front of him. In a sense, it was pointed out, these men were able to slow things down enough to get a hold on what needed to be done.

I thought to myself when I heard this that if that isn't what having a holistic perspective is all about I don't know what is. In life, if we want to be winners, if we want to succeed, if we want to be all that we are meant to be, we must learn from these athletes the value of seeing the whole and not just the parts. We must widen our perspective and strive to see the whole playing field of life. The big question is--how do we do that? The answer has to do with personal development and growth.