Tag: tennis

athlete mentality

January 17th, 2023

Shoes on the court
Trickles of sweat
Taped thumbs and ankles
Racquet in my calloused hand
The stickiness of a new grip
The sound of fresh strings on the ball
The connection to the concrete

Bounce the ball like that’s all there is
Play with the chain on my neck
Start the swing I’ve swung a billion times
Watch my mind go into automatic

Play the point
Reset the moment
Memory gets deactivated
Stillness gets ignited
Chase another ball
Step up to the line
Repeat it all a million more times

Competition is so hard to explain
But it pulls something out of you
I sense her across the net
I watch her play little games
My alarm goes off
I find the tiger within
I break the chain
Let her out
Forget sensing her across the net
Sense the moment instead

There’s always a choice
A choice to raise and pull ahead
Or a choice to let it get to you
Mind gets a little talkative
Feet start to bounce a little more
Score becomes heavier
The dopamine rush knocks at the door

I hear all the voices that have ever built me up
I see all the times I fought for my grit
I feel the fire inside, the one I learned to light
And that’s when I know, I’ll walk off the court with the balls

-Grace

Author’s Note – Walking off court with the balls means you won in tennis :-). I usually like to keep my two worlds separate…being an athlete (tennis) and being a writer. But I just came off a big tournament win and I thought I’d let my worlds collide :-). Competition has been a journey for me, but in so many moments this weekend I realized it’s a journey I will look back on with a smile inside and out. To show up for myself in the heat of the moment is the true victory, beyond the trophy.

High level tennis is hard to make relatable, it’s much more than what is portrayed in the public eye…it’s an intensity like no other and requires the highest level of mental toughness. I could write a million pieces on tennis and competing, and that wouldn’t be nearly enough to describe every aspect of it all. But for this piece, just remember “that choice” is a choice we make not just in competition but in everyday life.
passion

August 25th, 2021

Our journey has felt anything but short
Deeply meant to be, nothing to abort
The true feeling when we step on court
Is so much more than the sport

Forgetting the outside
Tennis is our pride
Alive with passion, fear has died
Here we are, enjoying the ride

Strings brush the ball
True power through it all
Growing in every phase
Alert with every raise

Hard work has never felt so uplifting
Although our dreams are shifting
Love of the game will never fade
No matter how many points are played

Ace + Geo (my little bro)

So fun to collaborate with my little brother again! We are both competitive tennis players and train together daily. A friend challenged us to write about tennis, and this piece was born! It was crazy to summarize twelve years of playing a sport in a few lines, but if there’s anyone who could do it with me, it’s my bro! Being an athlete has blessed me in so many ways; one of those ways is in becoming fearless and free, another is in strengthening my relationship with my brother. Go check out his site if you haven’t already, he’s full of joy vibes! Thank you for reading, we hope this helps you on your journey! Be fearless and free -Ace

My debut book, The Waking Dream, is out now! To purchase, click here for more info!
The Zone

May 16th, 2021
What does the zone feel like to you?

We all know “the zone”. For some, it can be a rush, a flow or a wave, but to me, it’s a zone. It’s this feeling or maybe even place where there’s such an effortless excitement to everything. It’s electric, it’s addicting, it’s adrenalizing — it’s just free. I know the zone is that one thing I’ll never be able to perfectly describe because it’s so special and something so pure words just don’t do it justice.

You know when you get this tingling feeling within, the one that feels like literal magic where everything you touch comes to life? Or do you know when you just feel such a zest for life, such an overwhelming sense of gratitude for the journey? It might even be a thoughtless (society makes thoughtless seem like a bad thing, but in reality, it’s the ultimate space to be in) realm, a place where thoughts no longer exist and peace is all that surrounds. Maybe it feels like a giant hug, a forever high, a different reality, a dream, a place without duality, a place that’s actually perfect — maybe it’s the place or time where you are truly YOU. If you’re reading this paragraph, and something is lighting up within you, then you and the zone know each other well.

Not one of us has the same zone, but, we all have a zone. Maybe you haven’t tapped into yet, or fully experienced it or maybe you haven’t felt it fully – that’s ok. You are at the perfect place in your journey; whether you’re at a crossroads, a stop sign or a green light, everything is meant to be and YOU are on the “right” track. The zone is something sacred and special, and the Universe (you) will bless you with that rush when the time is right, when you are ready.

I remember the first time I really felt the zone. It was in a tennis match and it was something totally indescribable. This something just came over me; I was connected to the ball, clear in my mind and deeply alive inside. I won the match and got off court and my team was like, “How did you do that? What happened?” And I remember just smiling and laughing and feeling like I didn’t know how I did it. Looking back, it was probably the first time in my life I was truly fearless. And that little blink of being fearless blessed me with my first experience in the zone.

How often are you in the zone?

The zone seems like something that just comes to us, but, in reality, we completely choose it with our thoughts, beliefs and emotions. This took me many many many life lessons to learn, but, recently I truly tapped into it. The first step to anything is awareness. Once I became aware of how I got in the zone, my emotions during my time in the zone and how I lost the zone — I started to recognize my place in the zone. And that’s when I realized, I AM the zone.

I feel very fortunate now to be experiencing the zone every single day of my life. Whether it’s through writing, training on the tennis court, training in the gym, song-writing, listening to music, connecting with my lovely friends here, good conversations, creating anything, cooking, dreaming or taking care of my relationships — I live in the zone every single day. This is where my gratitude through all the lessons I’ve learned through tennis just oozes out of me, I know without tennis this zone would be foreign to me. So, thank you tennis, for being my vessel to freedom, to fearlessness, to happiness and to the zone my life is designed through.

So, this is your reminder to dive into those times you were so alive in your zone!
- How does your zone feel? Everyone’s zone is different, and it’s the best journey in the world to discover the magic within it!! But for me personally, the zone is such a scared and surreal place to me that it’s beyond any reality let alone words or adjectives. It’s just something I will always know in my soul. And I don’t need words to bring it to life, it’s already so vividly alive. Sometimes, my zone is just a little boost. Maybe it’s a two minute burst of that rush of the zone — maybe the zone is simply authentic to you.
- Why can’t you feel in the zone more? This is the tricky one, but, once you dive into the portal that takes you into the reality of your zone, you’ve got it. It’s not just an activity that takes you to the zone, it’s a feeling and a mindset that takes you to the zone. For me, this feeling is peace first and then a wholehearted feeling of my life being complete. When I feel like everything in my life is truly so meant to be and so aligned with the Universe (the true me), that’s my portal to the zone. Another perspective can be that to fully ascend in the zone, we must descend into our emotion, into those moments that truly allow us to grow. I do believe that without sitting in our truth, we cannot fully experience the zone. So, maybe to completely be in the zone we have to embrace all learning curves along the way.
- How do you stay in the zone? I think this is the quest of life, and it’s such a beautiful and magical quest. I’m still learning, and the zone is still teaching me the answer to this question! Maybe the magic of the zone is that it’s a special feeling, something unique and not a forever way of life. Or maybe that’s just an illusion and living fully from your soul is simply just living in the zone eternally! Who knows, and there’s such joy in that “who knows” because I know, through figuring out the answer, I get to experience the zone many many more times!!
Here’s to tapping into our zones through the portal of our purpose, living in our zones through the excitement for life and diving into the highs this journey truly brings!! Be fearless and free -Ace
Thank You For 200!!!

March 30th, 2021

I’ve hit 200 followers!!!! I can’t believe I’m writing this post already! My goal was to hit 200 followers before my blog-anniversary in August, but, here we are!!! I am so grateful to each and every one of you, truly! Your loyal support, your touching words and comments, your connection and your love from a distance means more to me than words can ever say! You all mean so much to me and this WP journey is one I’ll forever be grateful for! I am so touched the Universe brought us all together and I can’t wait to see what’s in our future!!

I figured we could do something fun and different today to celebrate! I know getting to know the blogger is always a fun dive and I love doing Q&A’s, so, welcome to this get to know me Q&A!!!

Why did you start blogging?

In March of 2020, when the world started to collapse, I wrote a poem very randomly. We always did family poetry night when I was younger, so, maybe that played a part in me wanting to write a poem, but, I really have no idea! 😂 Anyways, that one poem spiraled into so much more. I started sharing things publicly on an app, but, through some censorship battles, I realized I wanted a place to be freely me. I’d dreamed of having a blog for many years, but, the timing was never right until August 23rd, 2020. 😊

Why fearlessfreesoul.com?

You’d need my life biography for the full story! 😂 But, in short, I am a competitive tennis player. And fear was a constant companion in my youth. I went through a lot in the sport, but, tennis (and my mom 😊) taught me so much about mental toughness and emotional strength. All these lessons started to sink in a few years ago after splitting with a coach, I don’t know, something in me just broke free…like a weight off my shoulders. I started getting these really powerful and very real dreams at night; like, 10 per night. Those dreams were showing me how the Universe in me connects to all and that synchronicities, signs, and the Universe, in general, is very much a true thing. So, these dreams opened my mind to the Universe. I started speaking with the Universe and experimenting with it…and then I fully put my trust in the Universe about a year or so ago. That’s when the fearlessness came. And with that, and many more ups and downs in my journey, Fearless Free Soul was born!

What are 5 things your followers don’t know about you?

My favorite color is blue, I am a morning person, I type most of my writing rather than handwrite, I love music and I’m very much a Taurus.

What are 3 words you’d use to describe yourself?

Thoughtful, hardworking and passionate.

What are 3 words you’d use to describe your WP experience so far?

Magical, surreal and ever-changing.

Where are your favorite places?

The gym, the tennis court, the beach, Sedona AZ and my orbit chair (I do all my creating there 😁).

When you’re not writing, what are you doing?

Training on court, working out, spending time with my family, connecting with friends, making a video, cooking, listening to music, daydreaming, thinking of what to write 😂, scrolling through my reader and reading all your wonderful work, collecting shells on the beach, watching a TV show or doing whatever the Universe brings my way.

So, music…what’s your top 5 favorite songs of all time and top 3 favorite artists?

Oh god 😂😂. Ok, top 5 songs – Breathe by Lauv, Remember That Night? by Sara Kays, One Piece by Gunnar Gehl, Hard To Say Goodbye by Ekali & Illenium (feat. Chloe Angelides), Sweet but Psycho by Ava Max. Top 3 artists – Lauv, Mokita, FLETCHER. There’s many more 🤪.

Are you more of an extrovert or an introvert?

Depends on the day, really 😂. But seriously, when I was younger I was definitely an introvert. I learned the hard way many many MANY times that not speaking up and being shy is a very imprisoning way of living life. Only a few years ago did I start breaking out of my shell and becoming free. So, I’d say I’m an extrovert with a few touches of introverted-ness!

When something is bothering you, what do you do?

Put on my headphones and listen to a song that sort of relates to the situation, let my thoughts wander and then usually, something comes through in the form of a poem. I have a nasty habit of pushing it all down and then it all explodes at some point, but, I’m working on it. 🤪 As of late, I have some opportunities to practice that. 😂😂

What do you love most about writing?

Oh man, that’s a tough question. The adrenaline from the creativity rush is unlike anything else, it’s just quite magical…beyond words really. I love the paradox of there’s a word for every emotion, but, also, there isn’t. So, I love that challenge of trying to write something that captures my idea/feeling/emotion/thoughts perfectly. Speaking of perfect, I’m kind of a perfectionist and writing definitely lets me fuel that part of me. I think I love writing because it’s expression, it’s a release and it is freeing. Something comes through me when I’m writing; when my fingers are on the keys or when my pen hits the paper, I feel closest to my soul, closest to the Universe.

What’s your mission with your blog?

My mission is to create a place to give you a break from reality and to raise your frequency. My soul’s mission is to raise the frequency of this planet and the souls in it through love, truth, expression and inspiration. So, that’s what I vow to always do with my blog – fulfill my soul’s mission. No matter the numbers or reactions, I will always be me, doing my personal best to fulfill my soul’s mission and bring you comfort, love and high vibrations!

And with that, this Q&A has come to an end! I hope you enjoyed it!! Thank you so much for always reading, for your continuous support and for being apart of this journey with me!! I appreciate you!!! Sending you all so much love!!! Be fearless and free -Ace

Tag: tennis

athlete mentality

passion

The Zone

Thank You For 200!!!