I talk to a lot of students and young athletes, and the question underneath most of their questions is the same. Am I behind?
Here is what thirty years of competing taught me. The fastest start almost never wins the long race.
Find your lane
In a real race you do not win by watching the other lanes. You win by running yours. The same is true of a career and a life. The noise from the lanes beside you is just noise, and it gets quieter the moment you commit to your own line.
The race is long, and most of it is run after the people who sprinted off the front have stopped to catch their breath.
You do not have to know the whole route. You have to know your next honest step, and you have to be willing to take it again tomorrow.
What to do with that
- Pick a lane you can respect on a hard day.
- Measure yourself against yesterday, not against the lane beside you.
- Keep showing up after the excitement wears off, because that is where most people quit.
Find your lane, run it honestly, and let the fast starters worry about the fast start.