Change can be awkward

Rafael Nadal is a left-handed tennis player, but did you know he’s a naturally right-handed?

As a kid using a two-hand grip to hit both his “forehand” and “backhand” shots, he was encouraged to choose one side so he could develop a single-handed forehand. Believing lefties were more of a nuisance to play against, he chose to develop his left.

Fast forward 20-odd years, and Rafa has consistently been one of the top tennis players on the planet.

When you think about it, that’s pretty extraordinary.

The number of people who have ever held a professional top 10 ranking in women’s or men’s tennis has been roughly estimated at around 400.

Yet this right-handed kid went on to beat just about every player he encountered, all the way through to reaching world number one (several times, plus 22 grand slams) with his non-dominant hand.

Can’t say for sure… but that must have been pretty awkward to start with.

Throwing with my non-dominant hand looks and feels hilarious – learning to sling a tennis racquet to a pro level would have taken some serious commitment.

But in Rafa’s words, he just kept showing up, kept practicing. Then practiced some more. And did it over and over and over again until it became so natural, that he couldn’t not play with his left.

What’s this got to do with us?

Change can be awkward.

Shifting to a climate mindset can be seriously awkward at first.

It might not feel quite right. It might even feel like you’re betraying some part of yourself because maybe it takes longer, or it’s harder, or it’s more of a pain-in-the-a$$ than the easier route.

Keep showing up.

Climate focus tends to naturally permeate everything you do – sometimes to the point where you can’t not think about it.