Here we are in the final 40-plus days of 2013. You have gone the distance this year. You have invested a massive amount of time, energy, effort, sacrifice and dedication to put yourself in position. But it will be this last leg that will determine if your entire year ends as a success or as you hobble across the finish line at the back of the pack. That difference will be determined NOW, right now in this moment. Lose another week or two and you will be too far behind to recover.
Will you dig deep, double down and put in that last kick to overtake your competitors and summit your goals?
To do so here is what you want to fixate on: “Breaking the tape.”
That is the advice a visiting Olympic coach gave a promising young runner while running track in college. He was an extremely talented sprinter, but regardless of his talent, effort or hard work ethic he was still losing his competitions, consistently placing second. He would lead the entire race yet still get overtaken in the final stretch. He tried various approaches but nothing seemed to work. He grew extremely frustrated.
By the way, this might be the way you feel about achieving some of your big goals. You work really hard. You are really dedicated. You put in tons of effort, but still fall short once you cross the finish line on December 31.
During one meet there was a well-known Olympic track coach in the stands. Once again this young runner placed second. The coach approached the runner and said, “You have first place ability and you put in first place effort and commitment, but you finish second, do you know why? “No!” he exclaimed in frustration. The coach continued, “I’ve watched several of your races. In everyone you are ahead for 80–90 percent of the race, then just as you are about to win you make the fatal mistake… you look over your shoulder… and that’s when someone overtakes you.”
He said, “The next time you run, focus only on the end; just fixate on breaking the tape. Forget what’s happening behind you. Winners can’t be afraid that they are alone.” You see what happens is, when you look over your shoulder you switch your attention from the positive goal of winning to the possibility of someone overtaking you. When your brain circuits swing toward this fear it affects your motor circuits and slows you down.
When you focus your brain only on breaking the tape rather than outrunning the challengers, you are telling your brain circuits to maintain your pace and finish strong. You no longer register information of what is behind you but you gain the possibility of victory by staying focused on the goal.
The very next race the young runner won… and he kept winning. He even ended up becoming an Olympian and competed in the 1996 Olympic Games.
The lesson that coach gave him not only helped that young runner but it has helped me ever since my friend told me this story many years ago.
The lessons I’ve learned are:
1) The race is won or lost in the final push. All your hard work all year can get flushed down the drain in the last two months and two weeks.
2) During that final push focus only one thing, breaking the tape. Don’t let the crowd or even the competitors at your back fracture your focus. Your body will follow your eyes.
Keep a maniacal focus on breaking the tape.
What are you doing to keep a maniacal focus on breaking the tape of 2013?
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