How A Wrestlemania Event Gave Me A New Perspective on Life

Wrestling fans are one of the most dedicated of any entertainment sport.

This proved true several years ago when I worked as part of an activation project team for a 2-day Wrestlemania event.

Thousands of people came from across the world to attend (many were families including children, parents, and grandparents).

There were several memorable experiences during the event however, I want to mention one.

On day 1, I was assigned to the games booth (where children get to play various games). Many kids came by the booth (primarily between ages 7-12) to play.

When they were winning at a game, they would jump and shout with glee. When they were losing, they would be extremely sad and unhappy.

One child stood out to me.

He was about 10 years old. He walked into the booth and quietly started playing the games.

When he won a game round, I would clap and shout however he remained quiet and unphased by his wins.

When he lost, I would say things like "Don't worry. You'll do better the next round!"

He remained quiet and unphased by his losses.

He just kept playing...and playing.

He ended up scoring higher than the other kids that played the games before him.

After 20 minutes, his parents came to collect him. He turned to me, said a polite 'thank you' and quietly walked out.

I watched him as he was leaving and got teary-eyed.

Initially, I didn't understand why.

"What am I getting teary-eyed for?"

Upon further reflection, I understood.

The boy and the other children represented two approaches to life.

One approach is to constantly have extreme responses to the highs and lows of life while the other approach is to remain calm and grateful through highs and lows.

I got teary-eyed because it was beautiful to see a child have such selfmastery.

It was a call to action for me then, and still is, to intentionally continue on the journey of selfmastery.

May we all keep growing in our selfmastery journeys to become better people, managers, and leaders.

And when we mess up (which happens), may we take accountability, get up again, put in more effort, and keep doing better.