Don’t Slow Down, the Race is Not Over

As I sit with my bride watching the Tokyo Olympics, with our boys in the background glued into the Gymnastics because they are about to start themselves in a couple weeks, I find myself constantly inspired by the effort these athletes put into competing on the biggest stage in the world. Can you imagine spending a career competing and making the Olympic team only for it to be postponed a year? I honor each one of these incredible individuals. 

It’s been a challenging 12 month and life continues to create new opportunities to be flexible. This evening we watched World champion American Noah Lyles let his foot off the gas with 10m of his semi-final run of Tuesday’s 200m semi-finals. He was promptly overtaken at the line by Canada’s Aaron Brown and Liberian Joseph Fahnbulleh, although all three were credited with a time of 19.99sec. Now he waits to see if he’ll get to run in the finals, something he was in control over had he not slowed down before the race was over. 

 The moment reminded me of the 1993 Superbowl, where Cowboys had victory well in hand and Leon Lett seemed destined for Super Bowl glory by returning a fumble 64 yards for a TD. That is until all-time hustle no quit WR Don Beebe chased down Lett because Lett began celebrating the finish without passing the line yet. In another race with similar results, Jamaican sprinter Shericka Jackson slows down in the 200m semi-final resulting in being overtaken and not reaching the finals for medal contention. For my business owners, fathers, mothers, spouses, friends, and leaders; the race isn’t over, and you are built for this race… Keep Going! Words from my Favorite Shirt from the, Till Valhalla Project designed to Bring Awareness to Veterans Suicide:

·     Crawling is Acceptable 

·     Falling is Acceptable

·     Puking is Acceptable

·     Crying is Acceptable

·     Pain is Acceptable

·    Quitting is NOT. 

Consider on your toughest day that the words above become your mantra, your motto, and above all else what keeps you going. No matter where you think doors have closed, there is always an option to open the next so long as you keep moving FORWARD!