Imagine 1,461 days of preparation and training on display, and only three chances to make it real. Imagine a lifetime leading up to a moment in which one kilogram is the difference that sets apart a world record from the rest. Imagine the strength of will and discipline that it takes to commit yourself for four years to a task that has one opportunity to be realized.
Most of us will never experience or understand the commitment involved in competing at the highest level of weightlifting (or any other elite-level sport, for that matter), and the utter power behind devoting oneself to such a singular task as setting a world record. At this stage of competition, years of training and preparation are on display, and the level of precision and attention to detail necessary to make even a one kilogram record are nearly unimaginable.
It’s a privilege to watch this extraordinary commitment on display. Take, for example, Liu Xiajun’s 2016 Rio performance, in which he broke his own world record in the snatch by only one kilogram, setting the new record at 177kg. While one kilogram may be a measly, even negligible improvement in the average athlete’s eyes, at this highest level of competition, a single kilogram is the result of years of work. And while you may never have the experience of putting such an incredible level of preparation to the test on the big stage, we can gain some perspective from what these athletes put into their craft.
We are faced daily with choices that ultimately determine the success or outcome of our endeavors, whether it be in athletics, business, personal development, or any other number of pursuits. And we are, in some ways, fortune to be at a level at which one kilo is a negligible difference, a level at which we can sometimes get by with making the easy choice rather than the best choice. But this fortune of ease often holds us back from taking the next step, from being our best self. What if it was one kilo on the line? What if years of work and preparation were on the line? Could you do better? Are you your best self?
- PS
Sled drag - 4x100’ (AHAP)
For time:
20 double-unders
800m run
20 double-unders
400m run
20 double-unders
200m run
Posted on 04/17/2017 at 12:00 AM
