I Sat On My Talent For Years… Then This Happened

0:00Alex Chisnall:What stops founders from building something meaningful isn't the lack of ideas, it's the fear of getting started. I'm Alex Chisnall and this is Screw It Just Do It. A podcast for people who are ready to stop waiting, take action and make things happen. Tell us the point then when you did decide to turn this talent for running and running very fast into something other than the hobby that it was. Prior to 2018, I was the guy who said, if I had tried, I could have done it. and I think for a long time it was almost good enough for me to think I could have done it and not prove it and if I didn't try then I couldn't get found out there was no expectation of you know going to a world championships or anything like that it was just okay I love this sport I've always enjoyed it let me just try something new and then that day something said to me well what have I got to lose and all the different things that I might have been fearful about and whatever else just went away I always say this you know whatever your passion is or whatever you're striving to do.

0:59There's a beautiful journey ahead of you when you pursue these things and there's beautiful things to be learned along that journey and there's going to be ups and there's going to be downs but if all you're concerned about is the end result of it then my goodness it's going to be boring.

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1:51prior to 2018 i was the guy like you know the people who say oh you know if not for my knee i would have become a footballer i was the guy who said if i had tried i could have done it you know i was that guy for years that was me you know my friends giving me absolute grief if we had your talent what we could have done with it and yeah no you know they didn't they didn't budge me they move me i just kept you know that same line yeah you know i believed in my mind that in my heart that if I had tried, I could have made it. And I guess for a long time, I believed my own legend. Really? Yeah, I think so.

2:23That's really interesting. Yeah, people ask me all the time, oh, why didn't you get into it soon? And things like that. And I think for a long time, it was almost good enough for me to think I could have done it and not prove it. And if I didn't try, then I couldn't get found out. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So it's an interesting thing and I have to be honest with myself about it. So when people ask me the question, I know there was some of that involved in in in you know because everything that i do i want to do it at such a high level yeah and i think a part of me at that point was missing uh i guess the beauty there is in i always say this you know whatever your passion is or whatever you're you're striving to do there's a beautiful journey ahead of you when you pursue these things and it's not about the outcome it's not about the result it's not about the the end goal because if that's all you're it's like when you was a little kid I guess and I don't know he's going to Disneyland or something and if all you're thinking about was Disneyland Disneyland Disneyland when you get to Disneyland it's not going to be as great because your mind and you've just been Disneyland and you would have missed you know I don't know it might have been sights to see on the journey and depending on how you chose to travel there there could have been some bits that you could have picked up there family time whatever it may be so I describe sort of you know pursuing your passions and in my specific sport you know the journey of track and field okay yeah we're judged by how far we can jump throw you know how fast we can run whatever it may be but for me it's about the process and the journey and there's beautiful things to be learned along that journey and there's going to be ups and there's going to be downs but yeah if all you're concerned about is the end result of it then my goodness it's

3:57Alex Chisnall:going to be boring tell us the point then screw it just do it moment when you did decide to turn this talent for running and running very fast into something other than the hobby that it was. Yeah, I think, because obviously, like I said, I did it up until school age, so about 16. And then I obviously, sorry, no, 17, 18, went off to uni. And the plan was obviously to pick it up back up and again, uni didn't work out that way. But I think come 2018 and that fateful day when I made a decision, I was just playing football at the time. So I was the type of person, I'll keep myself in good nick. So, you know, going to the gym recreationally and playing a bit of football.

4:35And I happened to be playing a preseason football game adjacent to an athletics track in a place called Woodford in London. And that's actually the club I'm part of now, Woodford Green Athletics Club with Essex ladies. And me and my best friend were on our way home. And because I love track and field, it doesn't matter if the Olympic Games or a local meeting in London somewhere, I'll still watch it. and I remember sitting down and we've watched the events going on and we watched 100 meters and I think it was one in 11-3 which funnily enough I left school with a hand-timed 11-3 personal best and one of my best friends his name's Ben turns over to me and he says I think you could put a pair of spikes on and beat these guys like come on Eugene like you know like you've never really tried this like what what's going on and yeah I guess God would just flick a switch in my head where I always saw there's one of my favorite parables in the Bible and it talks about talents so you've got this master who's going on a you know long trip and he gives a certain amount of talents to his servants so he gives five to one two to one and one to the last guy and he comes back after a long period of time and he comes to his servants and then the one who five says hey you know I've really worked hard with these talents and I've made five more then he goes to the next one hey I've really worked hard with these talents I've got two more then it goes to the one that he only gave one and he says ah i was really really scared i was fearful and i buried it i buried it in the ground and the master said so if you knew i was a harsh guy could you not put it in the bank to get some interest because of this evil you've done i'm going to take this one talent you've got and give it to the guy who's got many and it's something that's always stuck with me because i feel like up until that point i was essentially sitting on this talent i didn't I've been honest with myself I didn't realise Maybe a part of me did realise But I thought it was too late And then that day Something said to me Well What have I got to lose And all the different things That I might have been fearful about And whatever else Just went away And I turned back to my mate I said okay But at that point There was no expectation Of you know Going to a world championships Or anything like that It was just okay I love this sport I've always enjoyed it Let me just try something new and that was honestly the only thing that was in my mind when I started and I remember having my first session so Tuesday night um and I loved it and I thought oh my god have I not have I not tried this this whole time this is this is amazing um you know my first coach a fellow named Alan really great guy and yeah I used to train with you know a bunch of kids as you will most people who start track will start relatively young so there I am you know newly married you know career training with these you know these kids and and yeah just finding finding my feet and how old were you at the time then 26 yes I started 26 that was winter 2018 okay and uh can you remember like what times first time you ran so first time I ran like you know I got put up against some talented kids and I was beating them and I don't really know what their personal best were at the time but you know they're you know talented kids I thought okay cool and you know so I went through indoor season and then I ran my first ever 100 meters which again is an interesting time I ran 1093 which is a second slower than my current pb but for perspective that would that put me let's say top 100 ranked in that year 2019 in the uk so i mean nothing to scream about but for me it was kind of like for my school days i'd never broke 11 seconds so i've just run 10 9 i was like oh this is amazing this is great yeah two weeks later i tear my hamstring ah no way and my coach had been telling me oh you're in 10-4-10-5 shape which probably would have put me in about the top 50 yeah ranking for that year so i remember hitting the ground after that that that hamstring tear i mean hamstring tears i don't know if you've ever had one yeah they don't feel great no i've only done it once yeah three season i've had five wow okay yes i said sprint is not natural i can say um so yeah i remember hitting the floor beating the track and saying god why i thought you wanted me to do this why is this happening and i feel that's probably some of the places a lot of us trip ourselves up that when we pursue these things we think it's meant to be plain sailing and all go well yeah um and that's rarely the case and i think you know having that setback so early was tough and i remember i'd been you know quite disciplined up to that point and if i'm being honest with you i threw my toys out the pram you know i mean you know i was eating whatever i wanted to eat and i was at home you know rice you know rest ice compression elevation all that good stuff but i was not happy i wasn't pleasant to be around my wife will tell you i was moping around um because i felt like i does like why is this happening i felt like i deserved more than that and i just i couldn't really understand it because all this time i didn't even mess around the sport i just left it i wasn't going to try it then i was like i'm trying it now and then i get hurt and i can't even do it um so i struggled a lot with that um but one of the things that i've learned from that injury and a lot of injuries since is just because I couldn't run doesn't mean I can't better myself and I think a lot of the time um it's another another little nugget for the people is that when you're hurt and when you're injured or when you can't do xyz you can mope around and you can be you know upset about it and whatever else or you can look at it as an opportunity to work on other things so for me it was okay if I can't run then I'm going to be the best in the gym I'm gonna be the best with my diet i'm gonna be the best with my sleep i'm gonna be the best with all these other things so by the time i was fit i'd actually elevated my performance you know so that's kind of like the mindset i have now like don't get it twisted when these setbacks do happen it can be frustrating it can be you know it can hurt and i always say process emotions and let them work their way through so if you need to you know be a petulant kid for a bit then do that yeah but once you've got that of your system don't miss the opportunity that you've got to grow in other ways and it's funny i posted a little quote on my instagram yesterday i can't remember exactly what the quote said but it essentially said a victory without any hardship isn't worth anything yeah it's essentially what the essence of what it was saying and i was like wow this really resonates with me because it's sweeter when you know you've gone through some adversity to get to that point yeah um so for me it's like okay i've gone through this situation i've got a bit of adversity what am i going to do with it do you mean and like your whole slogan screw it just do it kind of situation it's like okay cool this is my situation right now this is my lot this is the hand i've been dealt all right how do i how do i play that hand to the best of my ability you know not looking over the shoulder oh his hand looks really good oh their hand looks really good no this is the hand i've got you know how do i make the mess of it and that's been my mindset all throughout you know i'm racing against guys who live and breathe track and field who've got federation support who've got sponsors and shoe deals or whatever else it may come with you know yet i'm mixing it with them i'm beating some of them you know i mean because not you know because i don't look at anything in my situation as a disadvantage really and truly it's just a thing yeah it's just my situation yeah it's just different to somebody else's situation yeah literally so okay he's got that situation okay cool good for him so i give it to god and i say

11:47Alex Chisnall:cool let's go if this conversation resonated with you don't just sit there act on it make sure you follow or subscribe for more game-changing conversations. And remember, the only thing standing between you and your business breakthrough is the decision to screw it and just do it.