While watching the Paralympics, during a visually impaired race in the pool, the announcer told us that the swimmers are unable to see their competition in the other lanes, so they don’t know how they are performing comparatively. Once they complete the event, someone has to tell them where they finished.
This has to be an difficult way to compete. The only thing you can do is swim your own race. And isn’t that a lesson for all of us? Put in the time, the training, both mental nd physical, then do what you have been preparing for. Don’t worry about what other people are doing or how you perceive you measure up to them. All you can be is your best you, not your best them.
Although I am not an elite athlete, I have experienced a small taste of this since losing my sight. I cannot see if people are looking at me or staring at my white cane. Honestly, if they are, I don’t have the energy for it. It is imperative that I focus on every step I take to prevent falling and getting hurt. Concentration while walking is as critical as my two legs. If I get nervous about being in a large crowd it is not because I am embarrassed but rather because I want to be safe. Either way, it is incredibly freeing that my only option is to worry about myself.
In all the challenges I have faced in my life, I still think one of our biggest hurdles is being concerned about what other people think. Take it from the blind swimmer and the blind writer, it is a waste of your resources that can be used for something more important. Like wining a medal. Or traversing down 50+ steps without railings at Citizens Bank Park for the Bruce Springsteen concert, as I recently did.
The Boss is right: Baby, you were born to run. Your own race.
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