01/06/2024
June 1, 2024
I'm currently learning chess again! Oh yeah, it doesn't mean you are good; you will continue to be good. A skill needs constant practice to remain skillful.
Chess was the trigger of my downfall in 2019.
When I got an invite to revive Chess, I immediately responded YES.
Why?
Because everything happens for a reason!
The context this year is a lot different in 2019.
So, I need to drop other things again, like public speaking, coaching, and supporting different organizations (Toastmasters, etc.).
You know what? I didn't drop coaching fully this time.
Why?
Because others need my support through coaching. In fact, I'm training my fellow leaders some coaching skills.
And the connection?
Chess and Coaching are about being focused and present (thanks to my peer coach, who made me realize this!)
If I learn to be focused and present, I'm practicing chess and coaching!
And how chess and coaching are connected to leadership? There is... I will share it later.
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Wrote this on April 5, 2019
Everything happens for a reason. I don't know why, but chess is likely back for Leadership and Coaching. Let's see!
I revived Chess in Bermuda in 2008 because I wanted to practice English. Before that, I had last played in a chess tournament in 1999.
After I left the island in September 2009, I never played chess again until the Bermuda Chess Association contacted me in February 2018. At the same time, I was doing a Chess Pawn speech. They invited me to join the Women's Team.
Let's add more color—there are many stages before a player can qualify for the Olympiad in other countries like the Philippines.
Why would Bermuda choose me? A player who hasn't played for years.
Because Bermuda Chess has a team of five members, there were only two women members (including me) from 2006 to 2008. They developed a few more women players for the Olympiad in 2018.
In short, the Association will accept any woman member - whether she can play or not. :)
Leadership/Life Coaching:
Visualization > Tactics/Strategies > Action > Results
To be continued...
Excerpt from Chess Pawn Speech
"I learned from my father that life is like chess —
Not everyone starts as a Knight, Bishop, or Queen.
A pawn is the smallest of all the chess pieces, but in Chess, only the pawn can transform into a QUEEN.
In life, it doesn’t matter how or where we start because, along the way, with the help of our loved ones, we will discover and unwrap our gifts.
A gift that will transform our lives.
A gift that will help us finish strong."
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