The year was 2009, the place was Berlin, Germany. It was the start of the IAAF World games 100 meters men’s final. Eight men lined up at the start line, only one man would win but that man was going to redefine the sprinting world in an incredible fashion. At the end of the race, Usain Bolt set a new record of 9.58 eclipsing his own previous record of 9.69. It was a phenomenal race, a phenomenal time done by a phenomenal sprinter. His place in the history books was sealed, his title of the greatest sprinter of all time, now carved in stone. 11 years later, the record stands firm, it will stand for a long time.
One can only imagine what it took for Usain Bolt to get to that point; heart, passion, determination, diligence, commitment, strength, fortitude. What I’m sure he also experienced was pain, disappointment, failure and fatigue. It’s the classic juxtaposition of life, sadness and joy, success and failure, victory and defeat. Nothing great has ever been achieved without a good degree of stress and pain.
But if we apply this to life, this 9.58 moment is the moment when you hit your stride, when all that you have been working for comes together in the best possible way, when you realize that you are in fact better than you imagined, when you become the best version of yourself . Usain went on to continued greatness but interestingly suffered an agonizing defeat in 2011 when he false started at the similar event in Daegu, South Korea. So, a great moment does not guarantee that you will never fail again, it does not guarantee joy and success forever. What it does is let you know what you are capable of and that you can rebound to success and greatness because you know that you have it in you. It builds confidence and embellishes your sense of self.
Not intentionally, people sometimes forget that special ingredient that helped Usain to skyrocket to greatness, not Usain though, he always speaks glowingly of his Coach. The venerable Glen Mills is an overall successful Coach, but history will remember him as the Coach who groomed the greatest sprinter of all time. 9.58 is as much his achievement as Usain’s. This is the person who saw the potential, picked Usain up after injuries, guided him on the path to astounding success, applied a firm hand when it was necessary, talked him out of his pain when he lost races, made him realize that he possessed the ability to become the best version of himself. It does take two to tango.
Are you functioning as the best version of yourself? Is your path to success and achievement clear to you? Do you know what you need to do to take your life and career to the next level? Perhaps it’s time to connect with a Coach who can advance you towards a clear appreciation and understanding of your own unique path to success, a Coach who can guide you to achieve your 9.58 moment or moments. After all, some races are really for the swift.
Recent Comments