Discover your inner magic: Part I — Self-Awareness
Humiliation is an understatement for what happened in 1950 in Rio de Janeiro. Never before had such a shock been felt by so many so deeply: Brazil had been defeated by Uruguay in the 1950 Football World Cup. To describe this as an upset is an understatement: four of the losing team’s players, including the captain, never played again. The national jersey was retired forever. And a generation would remember the Phantom of ’50. Uruguay, then considered an underdog, had stolen the trophy away from the most dominant team in the competition. But how did this happen?
According to most people, there was one culprit: ginga style. ‘Ginga’ expresses the soul of Brazilian soccer and has been described as an almost ‘magical’ style of play. It is characterized by creativity, swing, and the various rhythms that reflect the diversity of Brazilian society. However, in 1950 ‘Ginga style’ was Brazil’s greatest embarrassment.
Ginga style originated in the Afro-Brazilian dance called capoeira — a flowing mix of dance and martial art first brought to Brazil by West African slaves. And there precisely was the problem. The 1950s soccer world viewed Brazil’s largely mestizo (mixed race) population as not particularly favored for victory on the soccer field. Perhaps more worryingly, this was a damaging self-impression held by many Brazilians themselves. They were ashamed of their mixed heritage, and were convinced that it was the reason they lost to Uruguay (which was more homogenously European). Their theory was “confirmed” four years later in the 1954 World Cup where Brazil was defeated 4–2 by Hungary. If only Brazilian players could mimic the disciplined formations and short passes of the Europeans, they’d stand a chance at winning.
In such a crisis of confidence, the Brazilian team trepidly signed on a 17 year old Afro-Brazilian named Edson do Nascimento, who embodied this very problematic ‘ginga style’. They began preparing for the 1958 World Cup to be held in Sweden.
Why is the above story relevant? After all, despite my many talents, I am no sports commentator.
Well, what the Brazilian team faced in 1958 is something each one of us has faced at sometime in their lives: a crisis of self-esteem. A silent, persistent dislike of everything that makes you you.
In this series of three articles, I will outline a three-step process to make yourself feel better about you:
- Self-awareness: knowing who you are in totality
- Self-acceptance: accepting everything that makes you you
- Self-faith: believing that there is a unique contribution that is yours to make in this world
Today, I want to talk about self-awareness.
I think of ‘self-awareness’ as knowing who you are in totality, not just the good but also the bad.
Without self-awareness, I’ve realized that it is impossible to be satisfied being oneself, no matter what one may achieve.
These are four questions to ask of oneself, each one about a different period of life:
- (Past) When I look back at my life, which events make me especially nostalgic, but also which events make me especially regretful?
- (Present) What values define me today, but also which values don’t?
- (Present) What are my strengths today, but also what are my shortcomings today?
- (Future) When I look ahead, what are my biggest dreams, but also my biggest fears/worries?
Sometimes, we confuse self-awareness with superficial aspects about oneself like what pizza toppings we prefer, what stickers we put on our laptop, and whether we like butter or caramel popcorn? While these things make for great additions to your dating profile, they probably aren’t enough to guarantee a second date with that special someone: yourself.
In my next article in this series, you’ll find out what happened to the 1958 Brazilian soccer team. But equally important, we’ll talk about self-acceptance — the next step in the process!
