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Human brain structures have not changed in 35000-100000 years.
The way we process and deal with our environment is the same now as back then.
Because of this, humans have been dealing with , and solving the same problems for a long time.
Yes, maybe the art of shooting a basketball is a new problem.
But how to deal with pressure is not.
How to be confident.
How to learn.
How to maximise one’s potential.
These are not new problems.
For old problems, it can be best to read advice that has been passed down for 1000s of years.
It has gone through the test of time.
That is why I’m currently diving into letters written in the year 62 AD.
Letters of a stoic by Sennica.
Senica a prominent thought leader of his time, wrote letters to his close friends in his dying days.
They discuss ideas such as self-discipline, friendship, and how to handle adversity.
Topics that every human explores in their life.
Topics that have helped me become a better basketball player.
When I was growing up, I believed that to reach the top, I had to spend every second dedicated to basketball.
This lead to burn out, fatigue, and an eventual breakdown in all areas of my life.
This forced me to re think how I was approaching the art of improving at basketball.
Luckily I stumbled upon a book called ‘Mastery’ by Robert Greene.
A detailed explanation of how people become masters in their fields.
There was one key takeaway I implemented straight away.
Study and learn broadly.
Leonardo da Vinci would not have been able to produce his master pieces without studying science, engineering and human anatomy.
Nobel prize winning physicist Richard Feynman credits his ability to solve complex mathematical problems to his study of the bongos, drawing, and playing with puzzles.
To become the best possible basketball player I could be, I knew what I had to do.
Study:
- Psychology
- Philosophy
- Skill development
- Movement
- Health
The list goes on.
Broad learning helps me connect ideas and solve problems in ways that someone who only studies basketball cannot.
Be curious.
Chase passions.
Explore different fields of knowledge.
Who knows, there might be 2000 year old letters that help you improve at a game that didn’t exist when they were written.