The seven habits for living better through sport

In a rapidly changing and complex environment, it is not just pride at a national level that matters. It is pride in the team, in the organisation, the community and the people that needs to be harnessed to inspire us to surpass ourselves and succeed in the next stage of nation building.

When Sport Singapore and the Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth embarked on Vision 2030 in July 2011, here is what we found during our eight-month exploration with people who were enthused to deploy sport as a strategy for Singapore: Sport engages our body, mind and spirit; it challenges us to think and learn; it stirs our emotions and spurs us to action; it gives voice to our passion; it binds us as communities; and it makes us proud, inspiring the Singapore spirit.

Designed with purpose and intention, sport can bring to bear the values needed to empower people to meet the demands and challenges of the future and realise their aspirations.

Even in its simplest form of play, sport asks us to pursue a greater good and to enjoy the pursuit as much as the final prize. As individuals, companies and communities, we can practise and imbue these seven habits to enhance the lives we lead and the work we do.

Habit 1 : Let aspiration define your journey

In the pursuit of elite sport performance, only a few achieve world-class mastery. While many are blessed with talent, the greatest achievers are driven and fuelled by aspiration.

Amidst a highly-competitive environment, they are not afraid of failure and, indeed, are clear that the journey to their goals will be peppered with many such moments — which is in sharp contrast to the way many people journey through life. Looking to the future, if we are to thrive, we need to nurture aspiration as a deliberate choice.

Habit 2: Practise discipline in thought and action

For athletes, discipline in planning and implementation leads to consistency and the resolve to remain disciplined is the hallmark of a true champion.

If we allow ourselves to be at the mercy of our inconsistency, we limit our opportunities for success. If we embrace discipline in our daily thoughts and actions, success is inevitable.

Habit 3: Practise active learning

For most of us in Singapore, our journey in sport begins in school.

During Physical Education class, we first learn the importance of commitment and discipline (“Try your best.”), resilience (“It’s not how you fall, it’s how you get up.”) and teamwork (“Talent win games; teamwork wins championships.”).

As we grow older, where do we learn perseverance through adversity, adaptability and resourcefulness, strategic planning and thinking critically in real time? We learn through sport.

Great athletes do not just get better. They understand why change is taking place, and they take care of the details. They learn, apply new knowledge and refine their plans as necessary. Thus, they can replicate success at multiple points in the journey.

Habit 4: Join a team that pursues excellence

In sport, the pursuit of excellence is not the pursuit of perfection. High-performance teams seek to be outstanding through the improvement of individual technical skills, the enhancement of team discipline and communication, and the overall application of game strategy through great teamwork.

Working within a team has exponential advantages — the sharing of knowledge, diversity in ideas and a critical support system of like-minded individuals. Through interaction with our teammates and opponents, we become stronger than our individual selves and gain encouragement even when we feel defeated.

As competition increases, there will be a greater need to draw on teammates for inspiration and support.

Habit 5: Motivate people through constructive feedback

Motivation is more than doing a “rah rah” before the big game or a rant after a loss. Creating quality relationships requires meaningful and caring communication through constructive feedback and effective listening.

Constructive feedback must review outcomes versus goals. It must address what the individual is doing well and what needs further improvement, and it must contain practical advice on how to improve performance.

Giving feedback is not an end in itself. When handled well, it will fortify the trust among all team members.

Habit 6: Celebrate your successes — big or small

Praise builds team spirit and camaraderie, confidence and identity. The celebration may be something as simple as being named “man of the match”. It could be a certificate, an impromptu meal, praise during the post-event review or a pre-game cheer.

These acknowledgements will help sustain the team members as they move towards the next milestone of their journey. Athletes are trained in cycles to peak at specific competitions. The process can be long and arduous and peppered with recurring injuries, plateauing success and fluctuating motivation.

However, a celebration at each victory habitually forces a timeout to take stock of the journey so far. The team grows in confidence. Evidence of progress instils a sense of belief. Most importantly, the team reaffirms its shared aspiration and wholeness.

Habit 7: Become a fan of your team, organisation or community

Great fans are optimists. They always have hope, and they believe that the best is yet to be. They are experts in the history of the team and its players. They are advocates for the cause. They are loyal even when things are at their worst. They are always ready to invest their time, energy and faith that things will get better.

Mr Nelson Mandela, then the new President of South Africa, had the formidable task of trying to overcome the country’s divisive and bitter past. He looked to sport to unite his racially-divided countrymen. “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair. It is more powerful than government in breaking down racial barriers,” he said.

In 1995, the South African rugby team played against tournament favourite New Zealand in the final match of the Rugby World Cup in Johannesburg. In a capacity-filled Ellis Park Stadium, South Africa defeated New Zealand 15-12, but the greatest victory was measured by the impact it had on South Africans.

Across the nation, communities divided by decades of violence barely a year earlier rallied together to cheer and celebrate. They shed their differences to stand united as one people with one common identity. It was South Africa’s epiphany.

Singapore is a young country. By any measure, we have grown rapidly and well. However, times are changing and we must not assume that we can repeat the successes of the past.

As our society continues to evolve, sport can be our national language to carry us forward and through difficult times. Sport builds resilience in our communities and the shared experience enhances social capital, which will go a long way in building up our national identity.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Brigadier General (NS) Lim Teck Yin was appointed CEO of Sport Singapore in April 2011. This commentary is adapted from a longer piece in Beyond 50: Re-imagining Singapore, a book of essays by different authors on the country’s future challenges and opportunities. The publication, which is available both in print and online, is supported by the SG50 Celebration Fund. This is part of a series of pieces from the book that TODAY is publishing.