A friend of mine tells a story about the time he was a teacher, in charge of a rugby match.
Only it meant too much.
A player from the opposition school was making a break for the try line. He didn’t see what was coming next. An outstretched leg from the man in the middle.
Realising his mistake, my friend walked. Hung up his whistle. Never to referee another game.
The task was to be impartial. Indifferent even to the result. The outcome.
I used to enjoy the story because it hadn’t happened to me. But then I saw the truth. It happens to me. It just shows up in different ways.
I’ve since come to realise that one of my tasks as a coach is not to pass on my anxiety to my players. And that’s still no easy task.