I started learning badminton recently, partly inspired by the Blue Box anime and partly because I think it’s a hobby I can enjoy into old age with family and friends. It’s also a sport in which many Asians excel. Whether it’s singles, doubles, or mixed, it’s easy to find players to root for. But as I wrote before, I much prefer being a participant over a spectator, and I feel I have room for one more sport.

Lately, I’ve been watching more badminton videos and just finished reading The Mind of a Champion by Viktor Axelson. Interestingly, both Viktor and Taiki share a similar reason for loving the sport. [Viktor:]”I liked that I was master of my own destiny, that the outcome would be decided by my performance on court. It was up to me and only me.” Badminton seems like a perfect fit for someone who values agency.

Excerpts:

Is it your thoughts that are telling you that you can’t continue? Or is it in fact your body saying stop?

“Be nice to the people you pass on your way up because you’ll pass them again on your way down”. In other words, it’s okay to be all in, to show both frustration and celebrate success on court – of course while being respective to my opponent. But off court, a more humble or low-key attitude was the way to go.

I find it helpful to remind myself that 20 or 40 years from now, no one will recall who wrote what on social media. That thought forces me to stay rational when I read or hear something about myself. At the end of the day, it’s not important.

It is those kinds of negative thoughts I have worked on eliminating, and I think I succeeded at a young age because I was raised in the belief that envy doesn’t do anything good for you.

It made me realise that when I was struggling being happy about the success of my competitors, it was human nature. They are universal thoughts, but I could practice and learn how to handle them when they appeared. So, I would practice feeling happy if my fellow players were successful. And it actually felt energising. Today it has become an integral part of who I am.

Had I been able to give 17-year-old Viktor a piece of advice, I would have said to him: “Stand by yourself and your choices. Listen to what people say, but never let yourself be limited by others.” To reach high performance is about courage. Most people are so focused on fitting in that they forget that if they do like others, they will be like one of many others. I would tell myself to own up to being different and experimental.

Regardless of which limitations other people see in you, never let the opinion of others get in the way of chasing your dream.

Seek inspiration from others even if they have a different background or come from a different culture than yours. Find your own unique path or approach.

For me there is not one right way: There are many paths to greatness.

Depending on how the match evolved, I would have to adapt, see myself from the outside and be able to tell myself to change the tactics. “Be kind to yourself when you make mistakes.” “Stay calm and be patient in the duels.”

He said: “Let’s focus on what we can do from here. And not let what has already happened ruin the day”.

If there is something nagging you off the court, it can affect your physical state. If you have a negative focus on court or even before your match, there is a risk that you will make more or bigger mistakes on the court. Simply because you are “pre-programmed” to think negative thoughts. I assume this phenomenon is not isolated to neither badminton nor sports, but could also have an impact on your life and career.

Here it is helpful that my overall goal is not to achieve certain results, but to become as good as I possibly can. To achieve my full potential.

Is this how I am chasing my full potential? I know it’s an abstract goal. I know that no one knows what the result will be. I don’t even have the answer to that myself. It works for me because I have a series of sub-goals. They are measurable and evaluated as honestly as the rest of my life.

People should not be measured by their mistakes, but by what they do to correct them.

Having the right mindset is not something you learn once and that’s it. B.S. and I talk about how I can never become complacent because I win. “It’s about keeping your room clean,” as he says. This means I must use exactly the same tools, even if I feel good. It forces me to think about why things are going well. I must consistently evaluate my development – even when I am progressing.

We should never fear losing, but fear not learning from our losses.

Getting better requires you to try things that mean you fall a little short or risk doing so in the moment.

What if I could decide how much and when I wanted to practice? What if my need for optimisation could finally be satisfied? What if my potential would never face a single limitation? What if the optimal conditions actually existed? What if it was entirely up to me, and I never had to settle for anything less than perfect? That’s my best answer to the question: to chase the optimal conditions for my development.

If I don’t eat right, I can’t last the distance in my sport. So, when I optimise on all parameters, it’s both about pushing and taking care of my body. That’s why food is a tool to help my body perform. It might sound harsh, but I don’t eat for pleasure. I eat what is optimal for me and I am very strict about my diet. I am always very aware of what and when I eat.