Video Transcription

Headcoach – Usman Khawaja

I used to wake up Saturday morning—I still remember—and the first thing I would do is open my windows and make sure it wasn’t raining. Because if I knew it was raining, I knew I wasn’t playing cricket. My parents immigrated to Australia when I was four, from Pakistan. I grew up in a fairly religious family, so I’m Muslim, and that’s something I’ve kept my whole life to this day. It’s probably the most important part of my identity, and it’s one of those things that’s kept me levelled.

A lot of guys I know meditate, and for me, growing up and through that time, it was praying. Praying is my meditation, so I try to keep that fairly regular. I’m not a big sharer. If I am struggling with something, especially when I was growing up, I’d rarely say it. I think that’s something I found really nice to have with Rachel, my wife. Now, I’m at a place where I’m really comfortable to share stuff, even if it’s things that frustrate me, like with cricket or just normal day-to-day life.

When I hurt my knee a few years ago, I said to myself that for the rest of my career, I just want to enjoy it. I’m not gonna play for anyone else. I’m not gonna worry about the money, I’m not gonna worry about any of the external factors. I found the mental side of the game, and that mental side then translated into realizing, “Hey, wait a minute, the mind’s quite strong.” It’s amazing what the mind can do. That made me— that was a flick that turned in my head about how strong the mind was, and that was a flick that made me realize moving on further in life, being able to get yourself in the right headspace, is so important.

Video by headspace