“I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW”
Hindsight is 20/20. Indeed! Yet, please do tell! WHY IS IT that we can see clearly about things that happened in the past, and our view of the future is so clouded? Is our view ahead clouded by desire? By need? By righteous expectation? I have my own experiences to make conclusions from, as I am sure you do as well. My observations with athletes also brings in interesting points of view and I choose to cite Lindsey Jacobellis’ story as an example. This 2003 Stratton Mountain School graduate quickly became an extraordinary United States snowboarder and in 2022 won her life goal Gold Medal at the Olympic Games in Beijing, in fact won TWO Golds, as is recently written in her new book UNFORGIVING. I find her story a fascinating look in to how one can look inside one’s own mind and see choices to create a successful coming future, all the while being actively thwarted by those in one’s environ.
Lndsay’s story is one of a highly skilled very young athlete seemingly finding no bounds to her ability to get in front and stay in front and to win. However, soon worldly expectations developed in her audiences, and these expectations were suddenly projected negatively on her, in the form of doubt, disappointment, and criticism, which she had to face for years, as she stayed true to her goals of an Olympic win.
In the Olympics, there is an option for second place, and third. It is a huge honor just to get on the Podium. First off, the athlete has to work very hard to even get onto the world stage of the Olympics and yet the medal can still be very elusive, at times for years. Yet Linsday was such a fast rising star that expectations grew high the world over, and everyone was watching this young 19 year snowboarder in her first Olympics. The event was in Torino Italy in 2006, and by all measure it looked that she would take the Gold right then and there. But in her final heat in the Boardercross event, after she had skillfully fought herself to the front early on, and tactfully kept her place there, and her Gold seemed certain(!), the last few seconds proved otherwise.
Her’s was a vision since childhood, with years of disciplined work, to dial it in again and again. But after Torino, Lindsey was surrounded by a world of un-believers all around her, a relentless repeat year after year, of negativity about her ability, all while she sought to climb the Olympic Ladder to Gold in the limelight of the Olympic stage. The beauty of reading the book she just wrote about this time is that she puts on the page so much of what she carried in her head, her thoughts, her emotions, and shows us the many different ways she could see it, the perspectives she cultivated, the patience she could put in because she was so strongly focused on a goal.
Yes, she made a mistake in Torino in 2006, and the ceaseless hounding about it was a huge distraction. She would much rather that everyone just forget Torino. For four Olympics she fought through it, and eventually it was within her that she finally finds an acceptance, through which she at last reaches her goal, of the Win, the Gold, and not just one for her but two!
While the world focus chose to stay on the mistake, Linsdey forged her own path, and at last led us with her through to her success. On the pages of UNFORGIVING we can read details of what it felt like to her to be under such a microscope, constantly being negatively judged, and how she would find her self-knowing, in small but very important steps, patiently (not always she admits) keeping her focus. She learns to command the conversation while in the limelight, and almost doggedly keep it going where she was going, toward a win. She learns to know what she is capable of, to listen to her internal wisdom, and still stay at the top of her game. She sees how to discern un-useful hype and side-step it to maintain focus on her health and rigorous training.
Finally, when her win comes, it comes smoothly, with everything falling in to place, as if she had become the Master of the course, which indeed she had.
I choose this story as an inspiration for us all. It is a powerful story showing that with a commanding focus we CAN get it done (whatever it is). A great example of how we can truly shape our future, and about the power of focus. My favorite line in my playbook is “when i get out of my way, i can get it done”. When i can move aside my agenda, my feelings of failure, my feelings of shortcomings, my ego to win over others, i then find a “me” that has clarity to see the way ahead and to find the path that works. I encourage the reading of UNFORGIVING for a wonderful adventure through the human mind in the pursuit of a goal.
Bless you to find your path. My heart goes with you.
“I can see clearly now, the rain is gone, I can see all obstacles in my way, Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind, It’s gonna be a Bright, Bright, Sun Shiny Day” — Johnny Nash