7 Lessons from Saina Nehwal
“I want to be the best; it’s not about the ranking; it’s about being consistent.”
Lessons from Saina Nehwal
# 1 — Get inspired by your parents.
As a child, Saina Nehwal was a karate player. She left that sport when she was 8 years old. Her parents, Dr Harvir Singh and her mother Usha Nehwal, inspired her to pursue badminton instead. As we all know, cricket in India is considered almost like a religion, while lawn tennis is getting more and more attention, Saina Nehwal still got her recognition with badminton by following her passion. Her achievements of being world number one in badminton demonstrate that the decision to switch sport was right.
# 2 — Keep fighting, even if you are injured.
On the crucial day of competition Saina Nehwal had blisters on her feet, they were bleeding and painful. However, she managed to compete and was happy to win matches in difficult conditions like those. Her fighting spirit helped her to overcome any problem.
# 3 — Learn to enjoy every minute of your victory.
The way she kissed that trophy when she won her biggest achievement spoke volumes. After all, she worked very hard for it. You need to be able to enjoy every minute, once the moment of victory strikes.
# 4 — Make notes of your mistakes and improve.
Every time a match has been lost, Saina made a note of the mistakes and tried to improve, instead of getting upset. Realising that failure is just a normal part of life, makes it easier to digest your own mistakes. Finding out what the cause for the mistake was and being able to move on is what matters.
# 5 — Follow YOUR instincts, not the naysayers.
Sports in in India is considered risky. If you experience one defeat you will be out of the tournament quicker than you think. While education offers multiple chances, society still believes that studies are much better than sports. She had to overcome several challenges. Even though relatives of Saina Nehwal didn’t support her in her sportive career, because they thought girls should not pursue a career in sports, nobody could stop her from achieving her goal. Remaining focussed on her ambition has shown that she was right. She is now one of the top best badminton players in the world.
# 6 — There are no boundaries.
In an interview Saina Nehwal mentioned that the reason why she loves badminton is also the fact that there are no boundaries of religion, creed, nationality and caste.
# 7 — Don’t be a multitasker, focus instead on what you are good at.
Even though Saina Nehwal has a brown belt in karate, she believes that one should follow only one aspect in life. If you want to be the jack of all trades, you will be the master of nothing. Work and focus on what you are best at. If you do it, results will follow.
