An epiphany moment is unexpected observation or revelation that has a profound impact on one’s life. Epiphany moment can be spiritual or non-spiritual. At least, everyone has an epiphany experience, which not only changes one’s personal thinking, but also his or her way of life. Elise Ballard writes an inspirational book after conducting personal interviews with people from different backgrounds.
Each of her interviewees had to give a moment of epiphany in their lives that completely changed their lives. Although Ballard describes epiphany with view of spiritual or social context, epiphany is also available in other non- spiritual realms of life such as sports, businesses, and health among others. People undergo personal experiences that make them take up sporting activities and become successful sportsmen or lose their sporting careers.
Majority believe that most people who get involved in sports have an inborn talent. On the contrary, anyone who is determined to achieve a successful career in sports can do so. Through insights, personal experiences, and motivation, most people are able to venture into sporting activities like athletics.
The desire to achieve a gold medal can inspire an athlete to work extremely hard and fully venture into a sports career. Additionally, some people venture into sports after the success of a close relative or friend. Through either motivation or close relationship with a famous sportsperson, he/ she might decide to change his/her career thereby becoming a sportsperson. Famous sportsmen like Kipchoge Keino and Muhammad Ali have inspired and motivated young persons to venture into sports.
For instance, through inspiration and close relationship with Muhammad Ali her father, Leila Ali fully ventured into boxing achieving success. On the other hand, Tiger Wood’s elder brother inspired him to become a golfer. He not only trained him, but also managed his profession, thereby leading to the Woods’ success in the sports world.
Since ancient times, boxing and taekwondo was a male dominated sport. Recently, many women have also ventured into the sport. Although some of the women take up the sport for competing purposes, others venture into the sport for personal defense. The current society is full of physical abuse especially to the female gender.
Most women and girls experience rape or physical abuse from either their spouses or men, which affects them psychologically. In addition, the women who are victims of rape cases lack mechanisms for defending themselves during the attack. Therefore, through brainstorming, women come up with tactics to defend themselves in case of the awful ordeal.
Among the tactics is to encourage women to take up boxing or taekwondo lessons as the main defense mechanisms. Fortunately, through training, personal commitment and experience, some women take it up as a sport, which was not the initial reason. Consequently, the sport not only completely changes their careers, but also lifestyle as they earn living from either boxing or taekwondo. Luckily, such women are able to tour different parts of the world during their tournaments, socializing with people from different backgrounds.
Drug abuse is one of the common vices affecting sportspeople. Most of them take drugs not for medication purposes but for nerve and energy sensitization. A number of sports men especially the athletes are victims of anti-doping agents, which screen sportspeople before any tournament. Therefore, they end up acquiring a five years ban or lifetime ban from athletics.
Those athletes who end up getting a lifetime ban have to change their career in a bid to avoid bankruptcy. Fortunately, some undergo personal experiences or insights that completely change their lifestyle therefore staying away form drugs like narcotics and taking up careers like business.
According to one of Ballard’s interviewees, Ali McGraw “sometimes the most extravagant pain is the gateway to something incandescent” (Ballard 22). Therefore, through painful exposure, some athletes lose their careers but the experience becomes their epiphany, the turning point in their lives leading to a better life. Those who are lucky to get back into sporting career reform and decide to work hard to achieve their titles.
Most sportspeople go through epiphany moments in their lives, which make them to live a better life. For instance, Tiger Woods’ infidelity did not only lead to divorce, but also break from his sporting career. Luckily, the painful experience and the hurting breakup in his family life reformed his personal life and character. On the other hand, Mike Tyson was a victim of drug abuse and physically abused his wife. Due to his cruelty towards his wife, he lost his marriage and ended up in jail.
Unfortunately, the boxing association banned him from the sport because of his drug addiction. Consequently, he became bankrupt and a criminal. According to Ballard, through life experience and lessons one can gain freedom, knowledge, understanding, and information that completely changes his/her routine lifestyles (4). Currently, Woods and Tyson live a clean life away from their vices after the major changes in their lives.
Prediction of the outcome of a tournament in a football match, race, or boxing is one of the fascinations that lovers of sports rely on. Through dreams, cards and insights, some people can correctly predict the outcome of the match.
On the other hand, an epiphany moment can occur through dreams; therefore, when one continuously predicts the outcome of matches correctly, he/she becomes famous.
For instance, the octopus, popularly known as “John” correctly predicted the outcome of matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the owner used it as a source of income. Additionally, the owner together with “John” became famous receiving worldwide recognitions. Therefore, correct predictions can open doors for extra source of income, which changes one’s life.
In summary, an epiphany is a mysterious moment or experience that a person undergoes, which has a major change in his or her life. The experience can be spiritual or non-spiritual.
Through motivation and inspiration, people have taken up sports like athletics or boxing. Unfortunately, abuse of drugs and bad social behaviors are some of the experiences that change the lives of sportspeople. Due to gender influence, women did not take up some sports like Boxing and Taekwondo; however, with the current escalation of physical abuse, some women are using the tactics for defense.
Others end up taking up boxing as a profession, which completely changes their lives. Therefore, through bitter experiences like rape or ban from a sport, one can venture into a different profession. Sometimes through insights, a person is able to predict correctly the outcome of a tournament therefore becoming famous. Finally, epiphany in sports can either change the lifestyle of a sports person or motivate an individual to win or take up sports as a career or profession.
Works Cited
Ballard, Elise. True Stories of Sudden Insight to Inspire, Encourage, and Transform. New York: crown publishing company, 2011