The Sunday Mail
Whenever the thought of a fast running athlete comes to mind, I almost always think of those who have broken records all over the world and have made their mark on the international scene.
I used to believe that athletes are born knowing that they are born to race and win. As such I never thought one can make themselves the best even though they were once regarded as the last.
It is quite mind boggling when you think about it though. Imagine yourself being seen and regarded as the weakest link but somehow you end up becoming one of the strongest and fastest individuals in your discipline. Trust me, it is amazing!
I learnt this from my friend, Puwayi. You see, Puwayi was like any ordinary athlete in the running field. He was a medium-paced runner, yes, as some would say and he seemed to have a future in running but he never really seemed like a threat even to the slowest in the school team. For years, he would try out for the school team but he would only be invited since he showed enthusiasm and not the necessary talent needed.
At one time, he would be a reserve for his age group but only on the condition that the fastest gets severely hurt to the point of hospitalisation (and we all know this never happens!). As his friend, I would watch him go all out in the running field, only to be out paced by the so-called kings of the track. At one time, I even felt pity for him since it was a continual thing of him coming last. The only thing that would excite me was that he was willing to keep on going despite coming last and even failing to make the school team at times.
No matter how many times he was humiliated by his competition, it never occurred to him that he just did not have the ability or even the strength to pull through. Since I was his friend, most people would silently approach me and tell me to persuade Puwayi to just stop doing athletics and try other sports instead. I remember one particular guy came up to me and said ‘Hey, Kingsley. Your friend there is trying hard to beat the fast guys but it isn’t working man, I know you are his friend and I want you to tell him that it’s not too late to look for another sport or even do drama instead!’.
Though all these people did bring their awkward comments and absurd suggestions, I did think that maybe they were right and that it would be best for Puwayi to at least look for another sport and stop running against the ‘gurus’ of the track.
However, on a particular day, all things changed.
After all the years of running and coming last and not showing any potential, Puwayi finally came to his senses (so I thought). He approached me as I was watching the fast runners do their thing and he sat beside me. He seemed very sad yet angry in some way. As his friend, I asked him what was wrong and he responded:
“For all these years that I have been running and struggling myself on the racing track, it seems no-one cares about making me a better athlete. I know I haven’t been coming out first in almost all these races but I want to. It hurts me to see people only focusing on the best and not on those who really need the help like me. Kingsley please, tell me, is there any use in trying to improve a giant when it is already a giant? Or it would be better to improve a weakling so that it can be a giant and compete with other giants”.
As I was about to tell him what other people had suggested and commented, he then extinguished my thoughts and said ‘I am going back and this time I want to show everyone that I can become the best. I believe I can and I am going to make that sacrifice’.
From that day onwards, Puwayi became totally determined in running. Even his die-hard courage amazed me. He would practise whenever he would have free time all by himself. To some it seemed as though he was just trying to kill 3 birds with one stone yet to some, it clearly showed the rise of a legend in the making. Puwayi was so determined to the point that he would wake up very early in the morning and just run! He even got to the point that he would sprint everywhere he was and try to outrun people.
For a few months it seemed as though his determination was slowly bearing fruit but he still had a long way to go. So he further created practise sessions with some of the fastest people in the school so he could learn from them and be able to improve. He even started waking up much earlier than before just so he can run more. He began researching on techniques for running on the internet and even began eating healthy too. On weekends, he would always rush to the athletics field just so he can time himself. As time would tell, he became quite fast and very fast as he began earning the accreditation and appreciation of students, staff and even strangers.
It even reached a point where the school coach even included him in practise sessions meant for the fast runners. It was very unbelievable!
He worked so hard in running that he was included in the school team and was the first preference for the 400m. On the day of the provincial athletics competitions, Puwayi shocked everyone by coming first among a group of very fast individuals. From that moment on, Puwayi began living the dream of Usain Bolt. Truly, he was a bullet. He was now regarded as one of the fastest in the school. Even critics and naysayers did not have much to say but praise and more praise for the fellow.
As his friend, I was in awe. How does a guy who never seemed like he had potential end up beating the fastest. Truly I had to learn and such were the lessons.
Sacrifice. If you ever want to do something that you know would be of benefit, you need to put the necessary sacrifice to reach it. Whether it is sacrificing your time to make it happen or your comfort, your peace; it is very much imperative for you to put it down and focus with all your might.
Remain resilient: When you face adversity or problems in your course to victory, choose to remain resilient because in due time you will see the fruits of your sweat. Yes, it’s hard to push and shove in the process but do not give up because you are a few metres away.
You are a born winner: The rough times are going to come but they have not come to stay but they have come to pass. As such, it is very important to believe that you are the one. You are the one who is capable of changing the course of your own life. No one will tell you that you can reach your dream, only you know that.
Separation: Realise that if you want to see your dream come into fruition, you need to hang around individuals who want to see change in their own, individuals who want to see their lives become far much better than they are today.
Believe: In order to succeed, you need to believe that you can do it and become far much greater than the next person. I challenge you to believe you can do anything and the world is in your hands.
People have a common mind-set that it is difficult to be the best but to be honest, to be the best at anything, you need to put all your energy, focus, heart, mind and strength in what you do. Aristotle said it better, ‘We are what we repeatedly do, excellence is not an act, but a habit’.
In conclusion, I got the chance to have one last conversation with Puwayi and this is what he had to say:
‘I was tired of being a nobody and wanted to be a somebody. At least to try my best to be someone plus I made a promise to my sister that I was going to be a champion in something so I had to live up to my word. You know, it is hard to live a life of being average and in your comfort zone, you never go anywhere. Furthermore, the power of association is real my friend. In order to be the best, you must hang out with the best; this is because the best have habits or a mind-set that leads them to greatness so if you hang out with number one, he will continuously talk to you about his victories, titles and training habits. As such, from that you will draw inspiration and say to yourself, ‘You know what? I also want that’; that drive will cause you to work hard in order to achieve what number one has.
Because you see Kingsley, when I started pre-season athletics, I wanted to do well, infact I wanted to do very well because of the reasons I gave you earlier. But it was a hard and difficult process but because I was in the company of sprinting gurus, they inspired me to become better. My advice to anyone in life is that to become great at what you do, you need to be around people that make you better. Take for example, if the sprinting gurus were training I was training, if they were reading I was reading, if they were talking to the coach I was talking to the coach and so, practically, where number one was I was there. Inevitably, I then developed number one’s habits for success.
But more importantly I prayed for these things and had faith. Before every race, I would play Hillsong’s Zion album and just believe that the Lord had granted me the grace to finish on top and so I did.’
Kingsley Kaisi is an Youth Motivational Writer and Speaker, Actor, a Community Volunteer, a Singer and a 2nd year Development Studies student at Lupane State University.
For feedback and comments E-mail him on: [email protected]
@k1ngs7eykaisi
