Life Lesson From Usain Bolt’s Record Setting Sprint

Yesterday’s 100 metre men’s finals was the highlight of The Olympics, as Usain Bolt breathtakingly broke the Olympics record, finishing the race in 9.63 seconds, again affirming his position as the fastest man alive. The most amazing thing was that he seemed to do it effortlessly. In fact, some people felt he could have done better time had he put in more effort, but that’s commenting as spectators. He was simply brilliant.

However, what stood out for me was something the commentators said during the replay; that throughout the race, Usain didn’t seem to care about his competitors, he kept his eyes on the clock. It prompted this tweet, which has become my most retweeted, with over 100

retweets since last night:

A lot of times in life, we pursue things because that’s what society says we should, or because that’s what our mates are pursuing, and often times (all the time actually), those things rarely bring the joy and fulfillment they promise, because they’re not desires from deep within.

From a very young age, my parents taught me not to compete on life goals. They taught me to set goals so high, that I was always on a different playing ground from my peers, especially academically. From around 5 years of age, I would set my own academic goals, and these were points (marks) and not position oriented. It didn’t matter what position I was, as long as I’d met my performance targets. Today as a grown up, I’m not completely immune to societal pressures, but I’m to a very large extent free from it when making decisions, and living my life. I don’t always make the most popular decisions. Sure I’ve made mistakes, and from the world’s view I may not be the most successful person, but I am living my eccentric, and sometimes dream. I am a success by my terms, I make time over and over!

The freedom to look at your own clock as opposed to your competitors gives you contentment, peace that’s indescribable, and fulfillment that comes from achieving things, which may not seem like much to society, but mean everything to you. When you’re on your own time, you can challenge the status quo, you can choose to discard what doesn’t work for you, even if it’s what everyone is doing, and chart a new path.

Today, I’d want you to take a critical look at the things you’re running after, and the things you esteem in life. Why are you going after this? Are you being true to yourself by investing time and energy in it, or are you doing it because it’s the path of least resistance?

If society didn’t exist, would you still pursue these things?

Let’s learn to always look at the clock, only YOUR time matters.