Oh, I’m such a sucker for the Olympics. What touches me is the idea that ordinary talent becomes truly extraordinary when you work hard.
And in a way, that’s what drew me to the profession of coaching. I see people doing amazing, wonderful things, just because they were able to apply their energy in a focused way. Things which seemed unreachable become within your grasp. I’ve experienced this directly myself, going after my own life and career goals.
Who would have thought that I’d still be enjoying a career thirty years later? It’s only because I’ve been able to learn, grow, and achieve important things over such a long time.
And the stuff I’m working on now would have been inconceivable to me ten years ago. For me, the idea of planning out an entire career is quite foreign – I don’t feel a need to think out more than five years or so. Instead, I found particular things that I could get passionate about, and kept with them until they’ve run their course, or it feels like time to move on.
I’ve always been a lousy athlete, I’ve come to peace with that. My expertise lies in other areas, and that’s quite OK. But I have tremendous admiration for what competitors bring out of themselves in the Olympics.
What world-class talent do you have hidden within yourself?