It's all in the mind...or is it?

Superstitions

–noun

1.

a belief or notion, not based on reason or knowledge, in or of the ominous significance of a particular thing, circumstance, occurrence, proceeding, or the like.

Superstitions – some may pass them off as silly hocus pocus but there are a lot of people out there that are strong believers and this can really affect how people live their lives. 

There are your common superstitions such as:

• Bad luck to walk under a ladder
• Don’t open an umbrella inside
• Breaking a mirror will bring you 7 years bad luck
• Tossing salt over your shoulder
• Black cat crossing your path
• Beware of Friday 13^th
• Unlucky number 13:  no row 13 on a plane…I always just feel that row 14 is row 13…??
• Lucky horseshoe
• Touch wood for luck

Growing up I struggled to walk from point a to point b as I HAD to avoid the lines/cracks in the pavement…I am not entirely sure what I thought would happen if I touched a line or crack…maybe I felt I would slip through it (I was very skinny back then). But this not only slowed me down on my travels but it ensured I walked in the most ridiculous way.  As a kid I read Roald Dahl "The Wish" and could really relate to the little boy who tried to walk across a colourful carpet to his front door where each colour was in his mind either deadly snakes waiting to kill him (the black bit) or red hot lumps of coal that would burn him (the red bits) and the only way across and out the house was on 'land' (the yellow bits).  The mind is an amazing thing...

Then there are the little ‘good luck’ rituals you go through whether it is before a big game, an important exam or anything that means a lot to you.  These rituals you wholly believe are what stand between you and victory.  I know this because it was a HUGE part of my tennis life.  I played tennis quite seriously at school and even managed to make the Zimbabwe Schools tennis team when I was 18…at the time I really believed a big part of my success was down to following certain rituals!! 

When serving during a match I was very careful about which tennis ball I used during each point.  If I served and won the point I had to use a different ball for the next point, however if I had lost the point then I used the exact same ball again, if I lost the next point again I would change balls regardless!!  But what happened when my opponent served?  Well I felt the only way I could control it would be not to see them chose a ball and then it wouldn’t make a difference (clearly psychological!). This may sound ludicrous but I still do it to this day!! 

I know there are many sports stars out there who have certain strange rituals they follow before a big game:

• Gary Lineker used to have a bath an hour before playing.
• Goran Ivanisevic would always try to be the second person to get up from his chair on a change-over and never step on any lines.  Apparently if he won a match then off court he would repeat everything he did the day before, from eating the same food at the same restaurants to even trying to talk to the same people…
• Atherton would never give an interview if he was not out overnight.

A few more from the following source: http://ibnlive.in.com/photogallery/2147-0.html?from=trhs

• Cristiano Ronaldo: pre-match ritual of getting his hair cut for fear of jinxing his scoring run
• Rafael Nadal: every changeover he ensures his water bottle goes back to exactly the same spot or position each time, right down to the last centimetre
• Serena Williams: ties her shoelaces the same way every game, tries to use the same shower before each match and is said to favour the same socks throughout an entire tournament
• Andy Roddick: refuses to change his shirt during a match if he is playing well

So superstitions and rituals – they really are funny things but at the end of the day whether you believe in them or not if it gives you a sense of power which helps you succeed then keep them coming…it can’t be such a bad thing can it?

Do you have any superstitions – sporting related or not?  Share them…you never know you might not be alone.

The big 3-0!

When I was a growing up I was pretty certain I knew what I wanted, sure most of it was completely unreal for example I wanted to buy the South African cricket team...really???? Regardless I had set goals and as far as I was concerned nothing was going to change that. 

One of my biggest certainties was the FACT that I was going to be married by 23/24 and my first child was to be born when I was 25 (!!!) Gosh did I have so much to learn. When I was younger life was fairly easy, I have a loving family and amazing friends. I was a massive romantic and just wanted to find the man of my dreams and settle down, I was totally naïve to the ways of the world and the journey life had in store for me.

I have just turned 30, and with that comes a massive stigma attached. It has always been the 'BIG 3-0' oooo a birthday to be scared of. I guess it is that realisation that life is getting serious, we are 'proper' adults now! Whenever I told someone I was turning 30 more often than not their reaction was one of 'Oh 30 hey – are you scared?' I'll be honest when I turned 29 the first thing that hit me was – I'm going to be 30 next year, I thought I would be terrified but actually after initial concerns I have realised that age really is just a number.

Sure I'm not where I (thought) I wanted to be at this age. Sure there is no South African cricket team in my possession. Sure I'd love to be married to the man of my dreams and have the set kids I had planned on but the fact is I haven't met the man of my dreams, I often wonder exactly what I mean by man 'of my dreams'. Bit of pressure on the man for certain but that is a whole different kettle of fish and a whole new blog post. The truth is I have learnt so much in my 30 years and in all honesty wouldn't change my past experiences for anything. I have loved, lost, dreamed, achieved and all in all had a blast. Spent more money that I planned to, kissed a few boys I wish I hadn't, upset more friends than I ever wanted to but through it all I have had fun.

Who knows what life has in store for me, but whilst I am finding out I know one thing for sure - I am going to have fun figuring it all out. I haven't achieved everything I wanted to by this age but that is the beauty of life and goals – every day is a new adventure and every goal flexible...

So here is to my 30^th year...Cheers!

Ideas on a postcard

Eight years I have been here…EIGHT years.  That’s right I moved from sunny South Africa to the not so sunny shores of the UK in February 2003.  A lot can be said for my time here over the last eight years and a lot should probably be brushed under the carpet never to be brought up again…

But after a LOT of deliberation I have finally taken the giant leap and decided to move back to Africa, South Africa to be precise.  But enough about that – I am only leaving in the first week of May, which means I have literally eight weeks left in the UK.  I have to admit that I have wasted a lot of my time here by not seeing/doing nearly as much as I should have done and now I need to try and cram as much in my remaining eight weeks that I have not done in my eight years.  I’m ashamed to say I arrived in the UK determined to roller-blade in Hyde Park…it is currently still on my ‘to-do’ list.

For this I need your help…everyone has their favourites: park, forest, coffee shop, bar, theatre, museum, beach, hideout, spot to just sit and watch life go by…the list is endless.  Please may you help me make the most of my remaining time in the UK by making a note of a few things/places/experiences that you love and that could potentially be added to my ‘must-do’ list.  Almost like a bucket-list but not quite so final an ending…

So what do you say – would anyone like to help me out?  One thing to note, obviously leaving/shipping boxes back etc has taken its toll on my bank account and unfortunately a bunch of vandals broke into my garden and killed my money tree (not really – money trees sadly don’t exist – I’ve searched) so as much as I’d love to do everything suggested it will have to be within reason.

I am afraid I can’t give you much in return except my utmost thanks and to let you know how I got on and what I managed to do. 

I thank you in advance and look forward to your suggestions!  In the meantime I am donning my roller-blades…anyone for a whizz round Hyde Park?

What if you had a spare 20 quid?

Not many people know this but my dream job (other than to coach the South African Cricket Team) has always been to teach sport to underprivileged children.  After years of living in London and not doing anything to even contribute to these same children I decided to finally get off my butt and do something about it!  So, since February I have been sponsoring a little boy in Harare, Zimbabwe.  His name is Brian and he is part of the family that makes the world’s largest orphan and abandoned children’s charity, SOS Children’s Villages,
so special.

I was first made aware of SOS Children's Villages in January this year and above all I loved the fact that I could be incredibly specific in terms of who I wanted my money to go to.  The fact that I was able to choose a children’s village in Harare, Zimbabwe and choose a child under the age of 5, both of which were very important to me, meant that I can be a lot more involved in the growth and development of this child throughout their life.

In September I was thrilled to be able to visit Brian whilst on a trip home for a best friend's wedding.

It meant a lot to me that I could meet him and I was really excited, although at 5 years old I figured Brian would not be quite as thrilled to meet me as he would be to meet my God-Daughter Savanna (also 5) so I took her, and her Mum Sarah along with me.  Having pre-arranged it the whole SOS family were waiting to meet us and I couldn't have felt more welcome.  All of Brian's SOS brothers and sisters – 11 of them in total – were dressed in some of their best outfits and we all sat around in their lounge for a chat with them and their SOS mother, Clara.

As Brian lives with so many other children they prefer it if you don't bring a present just for one child so I bought them all a load of crayons and colouring books, one of those baby sized space hoppers and a game of Twister...fun for the whole family.  We had such a great afternoon there; Brian just managed to beat Savanna in Twister and everyone had fun seeing how flexible they really were! Whilst the kids all ran around the garden competing in running races and generally doing what kids do best, Clara showed Sarah and I around their small 4 bedroom house, and fantastic vegetable garden complete with a solar cooker.

 At this particular children's village there are around 200 orphans, and, as you’d imagine, some of the stories we were told were heartbreaking.  It is so unbelievably hard to understand how horrific someone's situation must be if they can just admit their little baby into a hospital and then never return to pick them up again.  Just as sad is that many of the children's parents are still in the area and just don't want them anymore.

During the afternoon we were introduced to gorgeous little 9-month old Jane who, as the newest addition to the SOS Village, does not currently have anyone sponsoring her.  This means that with the incredibly minimal amount of money allocated to her each month (around US$35), she has barely any toys to play with. Nappies are her ‘luxury’!  Understandably she was a little terrified of seeing us but I couldn't help but fall in love with her and am so grateful she has been taken in by SOS Children's Village.  With them all these children have hope and a chance, and they are not left to fend for themselves on the streets of Harare.

As well as being able to visit Brian whenever I am able, I also receive two letters a year from Harare with news on how he is doing, which includes a recent photo of him.  For as little as £20 a month I am very proud to be involved with such a fantastic charity and I look forward to watching Brian and his whole SOS family grow up. The great thing is you can support them for free in many different ways: volunteering your time; running marathons or completing charity challenges; promoting their brand and raising awareness for orphans.

If you would like to find out more please check out the SOS Children’s Villages website.  There are over 500 unique Children's Villages in 124 countries all in all looking after more than 78,000 children.  Spread the word – the more people who know about their great work the better.

Tweet Shy

This whole twitter malarkey….we can’t deny it – it is fast becoming an important way to communicate with the outside world. But at a time where a lot of people know about it but few really know what to do with it, I have been asking myself: How hard can tweeting really be?

Personally I’m terrified of it. Well certain aspects for sure. Take Facebook for example, I admit I am somewhat of a guru. I use it daily to keep in touch with overseas friends, trailing through photographs, often of people’s holidays, and I can happily update my status and comment on other people’s statuses without really even having to think.

But then there’s Twitter…I use this more for work purposes and honestly most of the people I do have following me – or I am following - I have never met. Surely this should make it easier for me to tweet about whatever whenever, they don’t know me – what could possibly go wrong? And yet on a daily basis I sit staring at the computer screen at a loss for words. Is what I have to say really that interesting? Will the 50 odd followers I currently have find my views worthwhile? I have people following me that I greatly respect do they expect great things from me? Surely this cannot help when it comes to my tweets. But then I ask myself – is having an account and staying silent the right way to go? Absolutely not!

So how am I going to beat this twitter block and use it to express my thoughts on hot topics, re-tweet great opinions and share interesting (well I think so) news pieces? I know one thing - if I continue to sit here stressing then I am never going to grow my following and engage with other tweeters. I just need to go for it. At the end of the day if people want to follow me and see what I find interesting then they will, if not stressing about it is not going to help – everything is a learning curve and you learn best by doing it.

So here goes….wish me luck!

If you would like to see how I get on please follow me on Twitter @KimboChristian