GOAT : Bolt

Very randomly, I was thinking about what to write about and somehow I just happened to write about Bolt. I was watching the olympics 100m race that was won by Usain Bolt, where he had set the world record of 9.58s. I was astonished by his speed and those long strides he was taking. The second record is also held by him which is 9.63s. The second highest by someone else is Tyson Gay at the moment which is 9.69s. Now that's a very interesting thing. It was May 3, 2008 when the world record was set and till now which is May 24, 2024 no one's able to beat that. Imagine how difficult it would have been, we have had 2012, 2016, 2020 olympics done already but no one's got to the world record yet. This is the reason, I was fascinated to understand, what makes Bolt so special? So I decided to grab a few of his quotes and tune into his thinking.  

So this was the first thing that I found, "I trained for 4 years to run 9 seconds, some people don't see results in 2 months and give up". Absolutely loved this, here's a man who's talking about consistency while training. In a very gen z term, he's talking about delayed gratification. He knew that he's going to run the next olympics and he will train to get better every single day for 4 years for that 9 second run. How important is that. To me that's discipline, working every single day for 4 years for that 9 second run. That's what distinguishes these top performing individuals from everyone else.  

In simple English, Bolt does not really think much about the outcome, train hard, turn up, run your best and the rest will take care of itself. Such simple words and language yet so powerful. That's the beauty of Mr. Bolt, all he talks about is training hard and turning up. You don't need rocket science for life, sometimes it's the simple things that work. The interesting thing is the simplicity that these athletes live with, I mean the simplicity and clarity of thoughts that they have. They would certainly have the luxuries but by simplicity I mean to say they have a very simple thought process, simply train hard, and turn up. 

Now look at these words, wow. Easy is not an option, No days off, Never Quit, Be Fearless, Talent you have Naturally, Skill is only developed by hours and hours of work. This is so so fascinating to understand the psychology behind his success. Skill is only developed through hours and hours of work. Be fearless, these are things we all need in everyday life as well. Never quitting, well no days off would be too much for a normal guy but most of the things he speaks is all about delayed gratification. 

Here's a quote where he talks about handling failures. When you lose it opens your eyes and you get serious, there is always a time when it is good to lose, at the right time for you. Wow, wow, wow, when you keep winning you become complacent and lose focus but that's good for opening your eye. So basically what he's saying is sometimes losing in the larger perspective of life is also good as it opens up your eyes. 

This would be a personal side of him that he believes in God and thanks him for everything he's done for Bolt. So an attitude of gratitude, would be a good way to put it. As I explore deeper, I am getting to know the human version of Bolt. 

This is a more sporty version, but here he talks about how he finishes the race well when people get slower, he gets faster. This might be more tactical but tells you about the details he thinks about in sport. 

Now obviously, I am not saying that everyone can be bolt through practice and constant dedication, there are other things that come into account as well. Like your genes, your height, your physicality, your diet, etc. But what I am here trying to summarise is that the mindset that bolt has is very typical of a huge achiever in sport. He talks about practicing for 4 years and not giving up in 2 months, talks about certain intricate details about the sport that he uses to his benefits, a more human aspect of him is thankful by nature, and how he understands losing, as opening his eye rather than a loss. 

This was just a passion blog and it's beautiful to get to know the sporting aspect and the human aspect of Mr. Bolt. In summary, this is a takeaway from Mr. Bolt: 

1. Practice delayed gratification. It's not about the 9 seconds but the 4 years of training consistently for those 9 seconds. 

2. Skill is developed through hours and hours of practice. 

3. Losing opens up your eyes. So it's good sometimes to lose at the right time. 

4. Don't worry about the outcome, in his words, train hard, turn up and run your best.

5. There might be great starters, but he finishes well, talks volumes about why he's such a great sprinter. 

6. He believes in God and thanks him for everything that's given to him by God. 

Challenge: 

As Mr. Bolt said, hours and hours of practice is required to develop a skill. Let's start picking up with one skill that you want to master. Let's say coding. Firstly simulate a pressure environment, like coding a certain app within 60 minutes, or have a clarity of what you want maybe it's an app that you want to develop within 2 hours. Learn the basics of app development, now once you simulate a pressure environment like within 2 hours, push yourself to make an app in 2 hours. Then put some more pressure and make it 1.5 hours, and then some more and then make it 1 hour. This will help you improve your skills in every single way. Don't try and be perfect, but if you get stuck feel free to use other resources like stack overflow, etc. But challenge is the key here. Maybe you want to get better at communicating, go ahead and practice communication for an hour. Simulate an environment such that you look at yourself and talk about any random topic for 15 minutes, maybe that's politics, cricket, football, etc. But at the end, the point is a simulated challenging environment is a must. Go ahead and try it. 

Have a wonderful day !