It is easier to believe than to doubt.

Along with a strong belief in your own inner voice, you also need laser-like focus combined with unwavering determination.

But at first, any belief worth having must survive doubt.

This is how humans are, we question all our beliefs, except for the ones we really believe, and those we never think to question.

I believe because it is impossible.

I believe and act as if it were impossible to fail.

The Six W's:

Work will win when wishing won't.

It isnt hard to be good from time to time in sports. What is tough, is being good at it every day. A feat I was stupidly trying to achieve. But at the end of the day it all boils down to one hour and fifty minutes of my life. My heat and final in 33 days time. Who cares if you have an off day? who cares if you lose one meaningless race in the lead up. How many races have you seen the favorite falter and lose. Pressure is doubled even tripled when people are expecting things from you. But at the end of the day, the only race that counts is the one that your running.

A fatal flaw in Athletics is we are so busy looking at the short term goal. we never think about the long term. Nobody cares if you win your interclub. your state title. the grand prix. unless you can back it up at nationals, having your name at the top of the national rankings in meaningless. The last 2 years of my life have been a lead up to that very moment. 365 days of training, 365 days of lead up, excitement, dedication and motivation, a life time of training for one hour and fifty minutes of my life. with two intense 13 second periods in between.

When you stand there on that line. What you have done means nothing.
The only race that counts is that one.
and if you havent worked the hardest.
you'll lose.
even if you've beaten them before, if you havent done the work.
You'll lose.

So shut up, smarten up and hit the track.

Work will win when wishing won't.

for the most part of a week.

For the most part of a week, i contemplated my fate.

ive never looked my dreams and goals straight in the face before. it was an intimidating and emotional experience. These dreams i hold so tight in my heart are actually what keeps it beating. who knew? I toyed with the idea of being mediocre. at the ease of it.

My body and soul would be so much better off.

but my heart and sprit would cease to exist.

Facebook was my muse as i sat bed ridden and home alone to dwell on my reality. i was in a dangerous and toxic space full of hate, anger and helplessness. I could do no more then feel sorry for myself and lost all sense of hope and freedom. i felt like a prisoner in my own consciousness. Where sleep was my wonderland. My freedom. and i escaped to it as often as i could. i sat counting the days and even the training sessions i had missed, and the ones i had left to come. i sat there thinking about the athletes who have put the target on my back and were training hard to catch me. and all i could do was feel more angry, more helpless.

I always said that athletics is life or death.

i didnt realise how much i took that to heart.

For the better part of a week, i contemplated quitting.

a word normally not even known to be in my thoughts, not even in passing. but this word lingered and grew in the corner of my mind until it was the only thing i could think about or wanted.

Then, I was then given a choice.

Catch or be caught.

Freedom or fail.

All or nothing

and it wasnt til everyone told me i shouldnt, wouldnt or couldnt come back from this that i realised that i must. not only that i must come back from this but i owed it to myself and to the last 16 odd years of my life. By quitting now, i would have given those who doubt me the victory. after all, this is war. i know the potential consequence of my actions, i know the risk. Like a solider knows the risk of going to war, but he would much rather die heroically in battle then give them easy victory.

All or Nothing.

it happens.

Maybe its not my weekend.
BUT ITS GONNA BE MY YEAR.

I told you.

Its been a rough road for me over the past few weeks. Training has been tough, had a couple of disappointing meets. But i tried to keep the faith.

The funny thing with hurdles is that one day your race could be a mess. And the next, things fall into place and it works.

Last weekend was possibly the best weekend ive had in awhile. If you havent already gathered, i cop ALOT of shit from all these "wannabe" athletes. A couple of months ago i posted something in this very blog, it read:

People may doubt what you say

but they will believe what you do.

They have to. So let them doubt you.

Discourage you. Disrespect you.

Let them tell you that you cant do it.

Prove them wrong.

Last week, i proved them wrong.
My motivation has now doubled.

Dont ever doubt me ever again.

watch me sore.

Not Running Away, But Running Towards.

All our dreams can come true - if we have the courage to pursue them.

The stories of past courage can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each person must look into their own soul.

A person often becomes what he believes himself to be. If I keep on saying to myself that I cannot do a certain thing, it is possible that I may end by really becoming incapable of doing it. On the contrary, if I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I may not have it at the beginning.

I'm not telling you it is going to be easy - I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.

Live everyday as if it were your last because someday you're going to be right

Here we are again. The word impossible is thrown at me again and again and again. But I've come to realize why these demons of my dreams are trying to convince me that my goals are impossible. And I ask of you now, do you know the difference between impossible, and improbable.

Impossible, adjective; not possible; unable to be, exist, happen. unable to be done, performed, effected. incapable of being true, as a rumor. not to be done, endured, with any degree of reason or propriety. utterly impracticable. hopelessly unsuitable, difficult, or objectionable.

So impossible is what? Difficult, hard, an opinion that something can not be done. Nobody said it was going to be easy. If it were easy everyone would do it, but to define a task as impossible? You might as well not even get out of bed today because life is just to hard for you. Im a huge believer in that God will never give me more then i can handle. So i can handle this. It seems impossible to you because you dont see the countless hours of dogged determination on the training field. It seems impossible for you, because God knew you could never achieve such greatness. It always seems impossible until its done

Which leads me to think that we would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.

"Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they've been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It's an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It's a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing."

What you're thinking is what you're becoming. It all leads back to whats going on up stairs in that self-loathing mind of yours. If your mind can believe something, and i mean truely BELIEVE it, then you can achieve anything. To be a great champion you must believe you are the best. If you’re not, then pretend you are. Believing your the best comes far before being the best.

"I said i was the greatest even before i knew i was." - Ali

People call it impossible. Say my dreams are a joke. Jokes? There are no jokes. The truth is the funniest joke of all. And the truth is, I'm doing what you believe is impossible. Impossible is a word to be found only in the dictionary of fools and it is often merely for an excuse that we say things are impossible. I act as if it were impossible to fail.

And one day i will fail, but my failures are my strength. Only a person who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even. I've failed millions of times in my life, and thats why i succeed.

So don't count the days, make the days count. Dont listen to a word they say. What keeps me going is goals. These impossible, improbable, unlikely, unbelievable goals. That, and proving you wrong.

Some times its fun to do the impossible, you should try it sometime.

Behind every great athlete is a good coach

"Be not afraid of greatness; some are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them." William Shakespeare

We each strive to achieve some measure of greatness in this life. And why shouldn't we? We have unlimited potential for greatness. But the question that needs to be asked is how do we measure greatness. Some people see greatness as being the smartest, the fastest, completing expert on Guitar Hero or conquering world of warcraft. Other see true greatness is being a loving mother, a good friend.

To me, true greatness is being confronted with a task and giving it all that you have to accomplish it. Often, you will fall short of completing a task, but if you can reflect on the failure and honestly say you gave it everything you possible could. That is true greatness.

Personally, I measure my greatness through sport. I want to be a great athlete and Ive asked myself this question for years now, what makes a truly great athlete?

I think a great athlete is not only just a model of physical ability, but a person people can still look to for inspiration off the track. Someone who gives everything they have to what they love and someone who can honestly say after a hard race "I gave it my all" no matter what place they came in.

A great athlete shouldn't have to ask themselves wether they want to train today. A great athlete has the motivation to train everyday.

A good athlete rises to the occasion, a great athlete rises to EVERY occasion.

A great athlete believes in themselves.

All these are good definitions of a great athlete but what is talent, without direction? What is strength, without cause? And this thought process has lead me to my answer to the question that i have been pondering for years. Behind every great athlete is a good coach. To teach and to guide you. An athlete with talent and no coach makes no sense at all. Success is 60 per cent about the coaching and 40 per cent about the athlete.

A great athlete believes in their coach.

My coach is the backbone of my training. He gives me my game plan and guides me regarding what to and what not to do. He is a very important part of my training, and my life. He gives me my program and gets me to do it. He motivates me to believe in myself and to be the best i can.

All of my greatest success is due to my current coach. I was wondering idly for so long. It took 14 years to win my first national gold, and i did it within 4 months of my new coach. I was the overnight success that took 14 years. To say the 14 year lead up was a waste of time would be a lie. But without purpose and direction from a dedicated and talented coach maybe i would still be counting those years til my breakthrough gold.

True greatness shouldn't be measured by what you can do for yourself. But by what you can do for others. Thats how I came to consider my coach truly great.

Always Smart. Always Forward.

If you want something you've never had,

you have to do something you've never done.

If you keep doing what you're doing,

you'll keep getting what you're getting.

There are people who put their dreams in a little box and say, 'Yes, I've got dreams, of course I've got dreams.' Then they put the box away and bring it out once in awhile to look in it, and yep, they're still there. These are great dreams, but they never even get out of the box.

Fear is a reason for these dreams to stay in this little box. Nobody like to bare the souls and come up empty. No one likes losing, but the trick is; You start as a loser. If you do nothing about it, you stay a loser. The only way to become a winner is to shut the fuck up and train. Millions are training to win. Millions are doing more work then you. Millions are suffering and sacrificing more then you are. They are faster, smarter and more hard working then you are.

But at the end of the day,

YOU CANT CONTROL what everyone else does. You cant control their speed, their power, their belief. You cant control their race, the only thing you CAN control is YOU.

You control your training. Your Belief. Your race.

You cant control the time's they run.

You can only control YOUR TIMES.

It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line, to hold them up and say, 'How good am I' That's where courage comes in.

Someone in the world is training when you're not. When you race them, they'll win. Unless your the one training.

Imagine what you could do if you knew you wouldnt fail.