It’s Vasbyt Time!
It’s Vasbyt Time!
This week, we had the great pleasure of meeting a real-life Olympic athlete. This lady represented South Africa at two Olympic Games in the 400-meter hurdles, likely the most brutal of all track events.
I only participated in this event once when I was still at school, and I can tell you it is horrible. Not only do you have to run at full tilt for one lap of the track, but you need to jump over ten hurdles on the way there. It is incredibly tough. Needless to say, I finished stone last. By some distance.
Last month, the Athletics World Championships were held in Tokyo, Japan. I tried to watch as much as possible. Being a below-average athlete myself, these world-class competitors are simply mind-blowing. Their speed, endurance and tenacity are something to behold. There were some incredibly tight finishes on the track; the men’s marathon, for example, was decided by 0.001 seconds!
The come-from-behind victories are particularly entertaining, where a dark horse comes out of nowhere to upset a favourite to clinch the gold. On the middle to longer distances, most of the action takes place in the final 100 meters, coming down the straight in front of the grandstand. This is where the countless hours of preparation, grind and sacrifice show.
As we enter the final quarter of 2025, we find ourselves coming around the last bend, heading down the straight. It’s that time of the year when our legs start to feel heavy, our lungs burning, and we feel like they might explode. Looking at the athletes, you can see the pain on their faces – which always leaves me wondering: “What are they telling themselves?”
I’m very sure that the last thing they want to be telling themselves is “I’m tired. I’m tired. I can’t do this, just too tired”.
And we shouldn’t either.
It is that time of the year when we start to feel like we have the largest part of the race behind us. But we are not done yet. All of the athletes know that it is not about how you start, but how strongly you can finish. And the same is true for us.
So: Pay attention to your self-talk. If you are constantly telling yourself that you should be tired by now, it will make you more tired. We believe the things we tell ourselves, even more than the things we see on social media. Curate your thoughts. You don’t have to jump on every distracting or limiting idea that crosses your mind. Take it one day at a time, encourage yourself, stay focused, and finish strong. It’s vasbyt (hang in there) time!
If you are in need of a few more tools to keep you going, get in touch. You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
