The gun points skyward and the hammer is primed to ring down on the firing pin. The official’s index twitches, it’s wrapped around the trigger. Even in glorious 3D he is calm, but with millions of wide eyes fixed on him he cannot help but feel the tension in the air. It’s a common scene in this arena and in 30 days time the 30th Olympic Games, London 2012 commences.
In an area the size of Alton Towers Resort there will be 26 unique sports, over 10,500 athletes rewarded with 2,100 medals. The olympics have, year on year, seen records broken with unbelievable achievements at every stage, and London 2012 promises to deliver the same.
There will be new personal bests and broken records during the track and field categories, if the athletes are truly at their peak we may see new World Records of the calibre set by Usain Bolt.
9.58 seconds is the current world record for the 100 metres sprint, a seemingly unattainable time, but it is history, it is a fact. We can only assume that this record is in the sights of the fastest athletes on earth.
World records and personal bests are set in the cold mornings of training and in the hours long after people like me have settled down with a pint and a episode of Fringe. It is in those unseen moments of trial and preparation that history is written. For most part the battle has already been won when feet are planted in starting blocks, at that point it is a matter of formality as those who worked the hardest are rewarded for the long list of personal bests that they have put in during training.
Your world needs you to put in day after day of personal bests. I know that my family and friends need me to put in a record breaking performance each and every time I put my hand to something. As with the 10,500 athletes, it is the unseen hours of character training and hard discipline that ensures I win on game day.
“That will do, I’ll stop there, that looks about right” are unfamiliar words for those who set personal bests.
If you are the volunteer picking up litter in the streets of your local community – make sure there is none left in sight, or if you’re the girl who serves up the coffee after a church celebration – aim for the smoothest flat white with the most elaborate rosette design. Maybe you are the counsellor helping a young person through some challenge – stay that extra hour because breakthrough is just minutes away. If you are the one that struggles with something and no one knows about it – say no this one time and you will have achieved a personal best.
Everyday personal bests mount up. In God’s economy nothing is wasted and when we choose to give our all, leaving it all out on the field, achieving that personal best in all areas of our lives – we make history every day. Our lives become a living illustration of the Olympic motto…
“Swifter, Higher, Stronger”
dean hogarth 