Novak Djokovic and the unconventional wound of “not enough”

When asked in a recent interview with Jay Shetty if he felt he had achieved everything as a tennis player, Novak Djokovic replied, “Yes, and more than that, at the same time, I still want to do more.” He spoke about the majority of coming from a “good place” from his destination, his inspiration, his love for sports, and his passion for making people happy when he watches his play.

He then continued, “But when it came, I would say that it’s not necessarily a bad place, and not a very good place,” he identified a second source. motivation Because he continued to be great in the “sense that it is not sufficient.” He said, “It goes back to my very beginnings of my life and especially my very beginnings of my life, especially my relationship with my father.

Physiological imprint

This story in Novak’s head reveals not only cognitive beliefs but physiological imprints. From a Polivagar Lens, he Nervous system It was shaped to predict threats and had very good reasons. His early experiences were biased to detect danger in his nervous system. This is true though bias He burned his relentless drive to become what many consider to be the greatest man’s professional tennis ever. It’s impossible to rest with the feeling that he’s trapped in a pattern of protection and still “want to do more” and is as good as he is.

Later in their conversation, Novak admitted: “I don’t think I’m completely satisfied because my part has my part, I think I can still do more. But on the other side of me, of course, I’m totally happy, I’m proud, one day, I can’t wait to look back on everything, but while I’m still active, Career,there is no time. ”

Mobilized and actively staying with professional games and all training, preparation and daily practice, Novak has no time to allow himself to reflect and truly meet himself. He cannot simply become a Novak, a human. He is an injured boy who had to win tennis to protect his mother, dad and two brothers. He was burdened with the great burden of winning more than just a game. For him, it was survival. In his own words: “I think it started from there because, as I have to succeed, it’s basically a matter of existence and the survival of my family, and over the years it transformed or evolved into a distinctly different kind of form.”

Is it insufficient as a path to success?

Jay Shetty said, “As you said, we all, everyone, were leading some kind of internal inadequacy or internal feelings.

Novak’s story reveals how this feeling took root when he grew up as a champion. “One of my most influential moments and my upbringing and Childhood It’s when he (my father) brought 10 German marks and said, “This is all we got for a family of five.” That’s where it hit me. That’s right, now, I have to get the means in my hands as a 12-year-old body in any way I can… not succeeding is not an option. ”

He explains that his father borrows money at predatory interest rates, takes him to the tournament, lands sponsors, and expects the weight he has placed on him. “Of course, my dad has always been my hero and my champion, but you know, I feel that it’s not enough for that. stress And it was tough because what he was going through and if he didn’t play well with me, it was tough… It seems like you need to win no matter what. He didn’t say it to me in words, but it was how it felt and it felt like that for years. ”

Messages not spoken to

Here, Novak is Stephen W. Porges, Ph.D., developer of Polyvagal Theory. It clarifies the fundamental truths that are often reflected by. Body Language. These spoken implicit cues are translated under conscious awareness and transfer the nation without words. His father’s physiology shaped the Novak shape, even if he didn’t directly say that success was not an option.

As Novak explains the dramatic risks, his father was experiencing, experiencing and expressing his own fears, worries and concerns to the young Novak, as his father promoted his future tennis career and provided the resources his family desperately needed. Continuously immersed in his father fear And urgency has etched a permanent, autonomous imprint. Novak’s nervous system learned to identify victory with survival, and there was not much to do with danger and uncertainty.

This is an imprint that Djokovic is still carrying. The body is tailored to fight for survival, driven by fear of not doing enough. And he is not alone. The deeper question is, how does he live with it now, and is there a way to soften that grip? That’s where part 2 comes in.