I'm Not An Expert

I'm sitting here watching the Snooker World Championships and, like with most other sports that I watch, I'm making comments. I'm saying things like "Oooh... I wouldn't have played that shot" and "I would have played that a bit better".  I seem to think that I'm some sort of snooker guru. Sure, I've played some snooker in the past but I wouldn't say that I'm anywhere near as great as these guys.  These snooker players earn their living my playing snooker. They must know more than me because this is their life.

The same can be said for other things in life.  We shouldn't comment if we don't know the facts, if we aren't in that situation ourselves. We all make mistakes and little judgement errors. I make mistakes and little judgement errors, but it's how we bounce back from those errors that defines who we are and how we well we can achieve.  Right now I've just seen Judd Trump play a poor shot but recover by playing the most amazing pot ever! No one is talking about the error, they are praising the pot.

Part of us doesn't want other people to know that we don't know anything about something. We feel we need to have an opinion, but we really don't. Yes, we make mistakes and have our faults and I know my failings. I don't need someone else to tell me what they are. What I do need is help to understand what to do to recover. These snooker players have had coaching to teach them what to do in different situations and they have practiced. Okay, you can't practice at life as you have one shot at it but the people around you should guide you through, not judge you and tell you your faults or where you have made a mistake.

Shaun Murphy has been playing awfully in this game and I've been laughing at him and shouting abuse at him. He's just scored a century. Do you think he cares about what I was shouting at him? No, because he knows what he's doing. There's a reason why he's playing in the world championships and I'm not, much like there's a reason why I'm not playing Broadway or a numerous other things.

So, remember that when you open your mouth to hurl abuse at someone because they fall. They are in that position, doing what they do, for a reason, and you're not. You're not them so you can't comment.

Stay Strong
Michael