Scott Sonnon: The Flow Coach

You can be a winner once, but a champion only always.

Today’s Negative Norman - “If you really want to act like Mother Theresa, then donate all your money to a charity rather than brag about your success. Everybody had it tough as a kid so I’m bored with hearing how ya use all that stuff from your past to “inspire” others. Not trying to be an #^^hole or anything, but shutup with the motivational stuff. Whens the last time you won a world championships anyway, like 2 yrs ago or something? Go the hell out and PROVE your stuff to us rather than preach it, reverend.”

He’s correct. I seek to continually streamline my efficiency in helping others, and shore up the bled minutes and dollars throughout the week which could be better used to improve my ability to serve others. I prefer to be quiet about my charities, for me it feels disingenuous to broadcast. I do believe that I’m being effective in reaching others during their “dark night of the soul” - whether that be a troubling period in their lives, or that teeth-ratting final set during a workout. To me, the latter is the micro of the macro. Persevere in training - Persevere in life.

I never competed to prove anything to anyone, not really even to myself. I don’t like fighting, believe it or not, which is why I fought so hard to compete against some of the world’s best across 5 different sports. World championships strengthen my will to endure conflict with grace: to learn how to remain calm at the center of a tornado, to find peace within myself even when surrounded by combat. As a child, existence no longer proved livable constantly manipulated by fear of conflict, pain, humiliation, desperation, misperceived scarcity. So, I trained my ass off, taking advantage of the best coaching and exploiting the most effective alternative technologies I could find around the world. I qualified, and I won.

At peace within, my efforts now focus on expanding my reach in supporting others finding their peace of mind. Not all of my efforts succeed. Not all are optimal. All of them can improve. But like preparing for any of world championship, it’s about daily discipline, about being heroic in the most miniscule, mundane minutia… You can ONLY become a champion by mastering the mundane.

Winning a championship feels great. But being a champion demands consistent, tedious work in all aspects of your life, and finding joy in it. You can be a winner once, but you can only be a champion always.

V/R,

Scott Sonnon