January 23, 2019 | Tagged Coaching
4 Dangerous Genetic Tendencies to Avoid
Becoming wise about our tendencies to handle stress and crisis is an important consideration, especially if you have had serious trauma in your family history. Research is now discovering traumatic experiences can be passed through the DNA resulting in a strong inclination toward negative and debilitating emotions. Even if you don’t fully know your background, you can recognize patterns that lead to poor outcomes for you on and off the basketball court.
Dangerous Tendency #1
Proclivity toward fear. This means a tendency to run or fight. Knowing how you tend to respond to fear will help you move toward greater bravery and fortitude the next time you encounter fear. Know ahead of time if you tend to fight or run. Athletes who have a proclivity to fight will tend to lose their temper, foul out of games, and get aggressive with teammates and opponents. Athletes who have a proclivity to run will tend to pout, quit, give up, check out and emotionally disconnect from the passion of the game.
Dangerous Tendency #2
Proclivity toward inferiority. Some people fight feeling inferior by having to have external status and separators. They actually train themselves to feel superior. They look down on others. On teams, this can lead to tough and dramatic outcomes such as exclusivity, cliques, pranking, backstabbing, gossip, and other forms of aggression. Conversely, some people take a deep dive into inferiority or self-shame which can manifest in cutting, bulimia, self-abuse, low self-esteem, and even suicide. They punish themselves. The opposite of inferiority is not superiority it is actually humility. To be humble is not to think less of yourself but to think of yourself less. A humble person is a person whose thoughts don’t center on the self either as self-worship or self-abuse.
Dangerous Tendency #3
Proclivity toward guilt. There are two kinds of guilt. Real guilt and false guilt. False guilt is not logical and can’t be dealt with logically. Real guilt is based on actual wrongdoing. False guilt elicits shame. Real guilt reveals that something must be dealt with. People with real guilt don’t want to think about the guilt. They cover it up or try and ignore it. People with false guilt obsess about it and can’t think about it enough. If you have made a mistake and you have done your best to amend the mistake, and if you have made atonement with those hurt by your mistake. Finally, if you have learned from your mistake, and yet you still feel plagued by guilt then you can know it is false guilt.
Dangerous Tendency #4
Proclivity toward an energy crisis. People tend to fall into two categories of energy crisis: the overfunctioner and the underfunctioner. The overfunctioner expends too much energy and is easily burnt out, bitter, and micromanaging/critical of others. The underfunctioner expends too little energy and becomes apathetic, paralyzed, a burden, and pariah on the team. Both are dangerous and important to address.
When we face our tendencies with courage and wisdom, they no longer become dangerous. Ignorance and fear are the biggest obstacles to our growth. The more you confront and have your negative tendencies, the more power you will have on and off the basketball court.
About NBC Basketball
NBC Basketball is a leading educational program on the betterment and development of stronger athletes and better people. NBC Camps began in 1971 as a holistic teaching camp focused on helping students improve in all aspects of their life and game. Emphasizing proven principles of gratitude, forgiveness, leadership principles, and ways to increase skill mastery, NBC Camps has grown to be one of the largest overnight basketball camp programs in the world. Located in six countries, you can find out more about NBC Camps at www.nbccamps.com/basketball.