Box Out

In my prior post I talked about the importance of rebounding. Rebound The absolute most important thing in rebounding well is to box out your opponent. That means when the shot goes up you get between the other player and the basket so they can’t get to the rebound. It is the foundation of good rebounding.

In bouncing back from a disappointment or setback in life, the equivalent to boxing out for me is to focus my attention on what I can control. There are an infinite number of reasons why something may not turn out the way I want it to. However, the first thing to do about improving things is to ask myself, what can I do about it? What is under my control?

The Roman philosopher Epictetus said it best, “The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…” That allows me to focus on the things that may actually help me. The more I say no to things I can’t control the more I can say yes to things that I do.

Boxing out for a rebound is very simple. Any player can do it. The challenge is remembering to do it every time. That takes discipline. Remembering to focus on the things under my control is simple too. It just takes mental discipline. When I remember to focus on the things I can control I bounce back well. When I don’t, a flood of opponents in the form of unproductive distractions, rush into my mind and I am easily defeated. I must box them out by focusing on what I can control.

May you have enough today, one moment at a time.