The Life Puzzles Series: Piece 2

What do I do when I trip on the path I was convinced was mine to take?

Last week, we started our series on Life Puzzles by exploring a vital need that confounds many. You may read more at The Source of Happiness. Today, we will explore an unavoidable but less cheery topic: time!
Coming off the 2024 Olympics, I have been thinking about false starts and the importance of time because some of my favorite events to watch are track final events. Track final events are thrilling, and half of the allure happens before the race starts as competitors strut onto the field with their game face on, stand in line, and exude their signature athletic mark. – Might be a lengthy gaze fixated on what only they can see, a confident hand wave to spectators, an intensely meditative stance, or a few energetic jumps and kicks. For me, this is a crucial part of the race because I catch a glimpse of the mindset of the runners before they aim for the coveted prize – gold.

A shot at gold

For runners, being on the track at the Olympics is an opportunity to partake in what many may coin the race of their lives! Before they arrive at the field, they dream of going to the Olympics. But while there, their dream elevates and is to get the gold medal. From the jump, one thing stands in their way: wrong timing! With the podium in sight, it is heartbreaking when a runner takes the first step – before the starting time!

In such instances, what is most puzzling is that before any of these athletes make it to the esteemed field, they have practiced a gazillion times and started right on time countless times. For this reason, we sympathize when they stand on the field looking dejected, incapable of understanding how they got the time wrong – when it mattered most. But this does not only happen on the athletic field. False starts are a piece of our life puzzle.

The false start opportunity

All of us, including the so-called best of us, jump the gun here and there. – A candidate applies for a job before they acquire the required skills and does not make the shortlist. A man proposes to a woman hastily before she is ready, and she refuses to commit. A baker makes it to Top Chef, the American reality competition television show featuring professional chefs. There, he confidently decides to cook his signature dish, sautéed spinach! But like it was his first rodeo, he puts the spinach on the skillet a tad early. And like the dish, his dreams go up in smoke!

Such times when we miss out on a treasure because we were hasty are puzzling. And it may be tempting to marinate in disappointment as we replay the negative experience repeatedly – convinced we will never make a comeback. Or we can decide to get back up, dust ourselves off, and try again. A false start becomes an opportunity when we perceive it as the start of a detour, not the end of the road. But of course, this is much easier said than done!

For a lesson on overcoming this challenge, let us turn to an athlete who made a false start when it seemed to matter most and got back up.

When it matters most!

Have you ever heard of Devon Allen? His name might sound familiar if you are an NFL buff because, in April 2022, the Philadelphia Eagles signed him as a Wide Receiver. But he pursued other dreams before the NFL. – He was an American hurdler and was disqualified from the men’s 110-meter hurdles final at the 2022 World Championships finals for a false start. The incident could have crushed his spirit, but in an act of resilience, though cloaked with disappointment and disbelief, he said he would “learn from it.”

With a resolve to learn from his mistakes and hard work, he received the position of wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFL. If Allen had not chosen to get up and start again, his story might have concluded with this statement: Devon Allen was a 27-year-old athlete who showed promise but made a false start when it mattered most. The End. Instead, an article about Allen read: False start in world hurdles final fuels Devon Allen’s hunger for track, NFL success.

Start again to make progress.

Devon Allen chose to take the path of progression. He left what was behind and fixed his eyes on the opportunity ahead. His example teaches us that a comeback is a decision to see a mistake as a detour, not a dead-end. Progress starts with a choice. I love this chapter in Devon Allen’s story because it is one of hope and resilience, reminding us that a false start presents an opportunity to try again.

Friend, where did you fall and give up, and what could you gain if you got back up, dusted yourself off, and tried again?

For you and to you,
Aké

Image credit: Pexels | Andrea Piacquadio