![Fight.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jacoalberts/23xVMaafkkoonGhD3C7wUzc58hhPTLP6Z32CdQ8z16JU7ktinSiiNbkXip362sREeG5Y9.png)
*Source:* [CANVA](https://www.canva.com/join/prosperity-joy-glitter)

We went out for a while yesterday morning to get some necessities.

As we got back I had some time to spare and I had a look to see whether there was anything was interesting on the sports channels.

There wasn't anything that I felt like watching, but on one channel I just got in at the last few moments of an interview with one of the athletes...

I don't even know what it was all about, but I was just in time to hear this guy making a statement that caught my attention... I didn't listen to the end as it wasn't a sport that would keep my attention though...but it was *just that one statement* of this guy...

I got the impression that he was a retired athlete who wasn't actively taking part anymore and the interview was more about his history and his participation in the past.

But to get to the point... 

He was referring to his early days in the sport. He pointed out how there was this one guy who was obviously at the peak of his career, and how he allowed this guy to get inside his head...

And that's exactly where he got me...even though I didn't listen to the rest of the interview..., but that is the kind of statement that gets me thinking.

It made me think of something my daughter likes to say. She says that people can be intimidating, they can say rude things...but that doesn't mean that you have to take ownership of what they say...

Especially in the world of sports, it is often seen how competitors would try to play "mind-games" with each other.

They would be acting in intimidating ways and say out loud how they would beat any opposition that comes in their way.

To the person who doesn't understand this, it can often be interpreted as being downright rude and arrogant.

Yet, when you meet that person in normal day-to-day life, he is quite the opposite. It's all about strategy and trying to intimidate the opposition even before they physically meet to compete.

We even witnessed this in a retail outlet over the weekend as well.

My wife wanted to buy a new vacuum cleaner and she had two salesmen competing for the sale.

After the first guy did his whole sales pitch, the second one insisted that my wife should look at his product too. 

Being the polite person she is, she agreed and allowed him to show her his product too.

In all honesty, I started getting irritated when he started running down the product of the first guy to show how superior *his* product was.

But I kept an eye on the response of the first guy and I was quite impressed with how he handled the situation. 

He just stood there and listened without saying a word or making any comment to his defense.

And guess what? My wife bought from the first salesmen.

This guy did not allow the second salesman to "get into his head". 

He was confident enough in the sales pitch he has made and he wasn't moved. And he got the sale.

It's the same in every area of life.

It doesn't matter what you are doing, whether it is business, whether on the sports field or wherever...do not allow anybody else to "get inside your head".

## We All Have To Start Somewhere

We all have to start somewhere. In the beginning, you have no clue what's going on and you would believe just about everything anybody tells you. 

They just have to be convincing enough, and they'll have you eating out of their hand.

But that's why it is so important to *educate yourself* as well as you could.

Don't just listen to one person. Use some common sense. Then start observing people who you can see are successful. Listen to what they say and observe what they are doing.

You might even find yourself starting to follow the lead of one person, but somewhere down the line move away and start following someone completely different.

That doesn't mean you don't know what you want. 

It might mean the exact opposite. The person you were looking up to in the beginning might have taught you a lot. But then you discovered someone else who was more in line with exactly what it is that you want to do.

And you should be afraid or feel guilty to go where you can learn more.

I almost want to say you can categorize people (leaders) into 3 sections in this scenario.

- #### The Intimidator

This is the typical intimidating personality who would make you feel stupid if you don't do *his* way.

- #### The Minipulater

This is the type of person that will tell you that (normally with a shrug of the shoulders) it's fine if you want to do it your way...it's okay...he was just trying to help you... Until you feel so guilty you rather just do it his way.

- #### The True Leader Who Wants To Help *You*

This is the person who will have your back. He will guide you, help you and assist. But the moment you are ready he will let you go and do your own thing...*with his support*.

![Let go.png](https://files.peakd.com/file/peakd-hive/jacoalberts/244e9xZxU4LF5efJRHNbtsvJ2Dp3MV5jp13BTVZV7mnxFwdLcSQ6MNpcHXwN6myWrcFaS.png)
*Source:* [CANVA](https://www.canva.com/join/prosperity-joy-glitter)

## Conclusion

What am I saying? 

What I'm saying is that we need to do our own research too. We have to study. We have to do research. We have to practice. We have to repeat things. And above all...we need to understand what we do and why we do it.

Don't just do something because "Superman" said I must do it...lol.

It is good to get advice from an expert. It is good to listen. It is good to follow. But there comes a time when you need to build enough confidence to stand on your own two feet.

That doesn't mean you have to break all ties with your mentor. A good mentor will *always* be with you and have your back. But he doesn't always have to be there to hold your hand and give you instructions... 

I hope this was helpful.

Thank you for reading my post.