At your first weigh-in, some kids will look like they were built in a lab. Wrestle the one in front of you, not the rumors.
RESILIENCE
WHAT THIS MEANS
A room full of strangers is where your imagination does the most damage. You will build an opponent out of shoulders, a reputation and something somebody said in the corridor, then go out and try to beat that invention instead of the person on the mat. The real one has a bad side, a tired third period and a move they lean on. None of that is visible from the scales.
Keep your eyes on your own warm up and stop ranking the room. Once the match starts, wrestle what you can feel rather than what you heard. Afterwards, write down one thing the actual opponent did.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
Which rumor about your competition have you believed too easily?
MORE IN COURAGE & RISK
- Sticking up for yourself over text is easy to do badly. Doing it in person, calmly, is braver.
- Speaking up when a teammate is being hazed costs you popularity. Staying silent costs you something worse.
- Sharing your song with the one friend whose opinion matters is scarier than playing for strangers.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.