The Technique is Everything. Fear is Nothing
OK….I know the first thing you are thinking is, “Fear is nothing?”. Fear is definitely a real thing, but it exists in our minds.
I talked to my coach Shah, and he was telling me that Muhammad Ali confessed that he was terrified going into the 1964 World Title fight against Sonny Liston. Ali did fight despite his fears using rituals of intimidating poetry, and the rest is history.
Imagine this, I am 15 years old, and I have been running 400-meter races over the last year. I have now run all the heats and eventually won the title of North Zone 400 Meter Champion. I was to represent the North Zone at the National Finals.
Getting to the finals was my only focus. When I did qualify for the finals, I heard of this talented runner from the East nicknamed “the beast.” I did not think about him until I learned of his qualifying time, 49 seconds.
I was doing my traditional deep breaths, trying to saturate my lungs with oxygen since I knew I would soon be panting, desperate for air after the race.
As the Caribbean sun beats down on the track, I was deeply inhaling a scent I have come to know very well. I know the visceral burning rubber smell of the hot track. This is a feeling that I have come to link with butterflies in my stomach and heavy legs.
I had to remind myself to breathe; the time was drawing near. I got the airy feeling of butterflies in my stomach that usually comes before a race. It is the same kind that comes just before making a speech to a large audience.
I heard over the loudspeaker the call for all the runners to head to the starting line. I remember looking at the competition gathering. Although I stand at 6 feet, the sight of the beast standing at 6 foot 4 put Fear in my heart. All I could think is he ran sub 50 seconds, and I had not.
If I had one regret in this lifetime, it would have to be that decision that I made at that moment. I just froze to my seat in the same way your tongue would stick to an icy metallic surface, and I never got up. I never made it to the starting blocks. They called my name a few times, and I was now too embarrassed to get up and go….
I wish I would have faced the Fear and ran the race, that 0.01% doubt or maybe the 100% certainty that I would not win the 400 Meter National Finals. It triggered many unconscious thoughts that I am sure are common to everyone who competes, not just myself.
These different dimensions of my past paralyzed me—dimensions such as the Fear of seeing the 6 foot 4 inches runner and his reputation. I felt the Fear of being a loser in others’ eyes after being a consistent winner over the last year, the Fear of reputation loss, and the Fear of letting others down as I represented the north.
I have had 30 years to reflect on this with the lens of experience and the benefit of hindsight. Here are my .01% inner fears that overtook me and the regret that remained. I could have learned from this experience if only I had done it. Here are the lessons that I see now.
- Opportunity lost to run that race that will never come again. How much would I have risen to the race? How would the competition have elevated my race on that day? The experience, the memory, the story….
- Courage development to face fears in immediate years to come. I do wish I had a support system to help guide me on this one.
- Humility to lose the race, my North Zone status would have remained, I was afraid to let down the folks I represented and myself as a champion. I wish I had raced, lost, and taken on a beginner’s spirit to push me to the next level of growth.
- The technique (personal growth): I could have benchmarked my technique against the country’s best. I could have still placed in the top three. My Dad once told me that “it is not how strong you are but your technique that counts.” I will never know just how much.
As I move forward in my life, I learned many inner game lessons from that day.
- Be Humble and Courageous. Humble makes you open to learning; courage allows you to put your whole heart behind it. Deal with truth as it is and move forward.
- Follow your dreams; we underestimate what we can do in 10 years and overestimate what we can do in 1 year. Show up, listen hard, do your best, do not lie, and not attach to the results. What is important is that you “Do not attach to the results” as I did with the North Zone Status. Chase your dreams but not for money. You often never get the money, but you can have your art and work.
- Do your best; Never avoid your dreams for Fear. You will have your reputation, and that you cannot buy but comes from courage. See the world as it is, and do not lie to yourself or anyone. Keep honing your craft, and innovate by listening hard to feedback, marketing, and negotiating.
- Get the best Coaches in the business. My Biggest Fear is running off enthusiastically in the wrong direction. I want to honor the excellent advice of my Dad and get the technique right from day one. Avoid spending time and energy correcting techniques. “Get your foundation built right. The house built on a rock as its foundation stands up in the rains and storms,” says Sister Mary Margret, Principal of Maria Regina Primary School, 1985.
TECHNIQUE IS REAL. IT IS THE PRODUCT OF OUR PERFECT PRACTICE. FEAR IS IN OUR MINDS. — STEPHEN CHOO QUAN
I wish “that you work hard and have the results to show for it.”
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1964 Liston vs. Ali – faced the Fear, worked on his technique, and did his best.
