The Lens of Wonder

This morning,

I was with two friends and their spirited 3-year-old daughter. 

As we talked, the young girl roamed nearby, absorbing the world around her with a wide - eyed curiosity.

A leaf caught her attention, and with innocent enthusiasm, she said, "Look, mommy! A leaf.”

Then, she stared at that leaf for 45 seconds with a gaze so focused, a firework could have gone off and she wouldn’t have flinched. 

Later, she had a puzzled look on her face as she stumbled upon a remote control. Soon after, she raised it to her ear and softly said, "Hello, is anyone there?"—as if it were a cell phone.

3 hours later, in a moment of quiet, it hit me. 

The key to improvement in pickleball isn’t confined to just 3rd shot drops or dinking technique. (Don’t get me wrong, those definitely help, to an extent.)

But true improvement begins in the mind. You have to take a journey within and search for that childlike wonder, waiting to be rediscovered.

See, you were that 3-year-old once, absorbing your surroundings as if each discovery was the first.

And, if we approach improvement with that open eyed same curiosity, we'll progress faster than we ever thought possible. 

And how do you do it?

Observe better players and ask them smarter questions. 

Invest more time thinking about why certain shots work and others don't. 

Write down new ideas when they come to you at unexpected times.

Experiment on court as if the game was created yesterday and no one knows how to play.

See, too often, we get set in our ways and become rigid to new ideas and alternative ways of thinking & playing.

The truth is, this game is still new. And in 10 years, it will look different than it does now.

So don’t wait for everyone else to give you the answers. Use your imagination of what could be. Of what you could become.

Because if there’s anything I learned from that little girl, it’s that staring at a leaf for 45 seconds will reveal something you’ve never noticed about a leaf. 

Imagine what would happen if you start looking at pickleball that way. 

Until next week, 

Kyle 

PS: No youtube video this week. The next video coming out is on “how to improve our letting out balls go.” In an attempt to make world class content for you all, my team of editors are leaving no stone unturned. So each video will take a little longer to publish in 2024 :) 

PPS: Last week, I mentioned I had some news this week, but I’ve decided to put it off until I figure out a few things. Don’t worry though, it’s coming soon :)