When Mahela Jayawardene was with us before the Test series against Pakistan he said it should all be about enjoying your talent and skill. He took his bat out there to score runs and enjoy playing the game.
For me, a late start was a good thing. A lot of kids who start too early get bored. I'd done all the things I wanted to do, I'd enjoyed myself, having fun and playing as an amateur and that was important.
I'm not a cerebral player. When I'm out on the floor, I try to play.
I think when I start thinking about results, I stop playing the right way because I start getting too nervous.
I played without fear. I've done that since I first kicked a ball in my back garden as a five-year-old, whether it's been my first game, my 100th game, or my 500th game.
I try to play like I did when I was a young boy playing in my garden. Sometimes it's good, sometimes it's not so good, but I try to always make sure I give my best to help the team, even if I am not having the best game myself.
I didn't really set any goals, just trying to go and play the game.
It takes a lot of pressure off you just to go out and play, and your talent sometimes shines even more when you don't worry about individual stuff.
Older players who have experienced failure in the past can sometimes be held back by the fear of it happening again, young ones just want to go out and play.
Many years ago when I first started my career Maradona told me "to enjoy and play as you know", and that's stayed with me ever since and is the best advice I've been given.
If you aren't playing well, the game isn't as much fun. When that happens I tell myself just to go out and play as I did when I was a kid.
You can never, ever worry about making mistakes or things like that. I'm going to go out and play ball, and that's what I do.
If I am playing the game freely, and those opportunities come up to cross the line, then I get enjoy that a lot. But when I try to force things, I am not playing my best footy.
When you're in the backyard as a kid playing and falling in love with the game and you crush the ball? You do a celebration. You stand and watch it like Ken Griffey Jr. You put your hands in the air like Manny Ramirez. You don't hit the ball and put your head down and run as fast you can. That's not fun. It's okay to embrace that part of a game.
