Dreams Come Alive

Earlier this week I had the privilege and honour of running a 2.5 day empowering workshop for close to 20 young Singaporean athletes who are in the squad or in the running to represent the nation in the upcoming Youth Olympic Games.

This was a workshop with a difference. Different because this was a group of special individuals. Coming from a variety of backgrounds, schools and sporting history, they were united by a common aspiration, a dream to do their utmost best and do their country and themselves proud. And it told.

From the word go, their maturity, discipline and camaraderie stood out. Perhaps juggling school life with a punishing training regime over the last several months has imbued in them an appreciation for precious time with one another. Or maybe their exposure to regional and international competition arenas has raised their confidence levels. Quite possibly the rigour of pursuing sporting excellence and making sacrifices has inculcated a respect for achievement.

Their willingness to participate, to explore, to go deep and above all, to be real was greatly moving and at the end of the workshop I felt that it was I who had learnt the most.

Champs, if you are reading this, I thank you for revealing who you really are, for teaching me the value of humility and authenticity. And for showing me what it means to make your dreams come alive. In my eyes you are champions and I dedicate this weekend’s ultra marathon to you all.

In many ways the first half of this year is a runaway success.

On the professional front I secured a role with a consultancy firm involved in organisational development work for a global oil and gas giant and recently I earned a position to provide coaching and facilitation services for the military. Both of these developments have skyrocketed my learning and work on the corporate fronts to a whole new level. Plus I will be sitting on the panel of a prestigious forum in June which will be opened by the Prime Minister.

Personally, I have cemented a deeper level of understanding and intimacy with my significant other and stepped up my preparations for my next ultra endurance footrace that is the Gobi March. Looking forward to the Antarctica challenge in November, I have hooked up with an old school friend who owns a successful chain of pet food and retailing businesses in the region and we are at an advanced stage of talks to fundraise for a local charity.

So why am I so tired and drained?

A big part of it is that I haven’t stopped to take stock of my achievements.  While I register them as significant milestones on an intellectual level, I haven’t yet taken the time to fully celebrate my growth and development and congratulate myself on my results. On the contrary, I had made mental notes and then immediately looked forward to the next thing to conquer.

To tell myself that I have done a good job is one part of it; to really feel the sense of accomplishment and delight is the other. It is perfectly fine and necessary to just stop and marvel and simply….do nothing. That is to say, completely get off the treadmill of life and take a break, relax and be completely ok with it. This is because I know I am not resting on my laurels but taking a breather to soak it all in and gather strength and move forward again.

To use my training for the Gobi March as a metaphor, I am feeling the effects of overtraining and being too fixated on my goal. It is time to take my foot off the pedal for a little while and allow my body to recuperate and muscles to grow.

Breathe in…breathe out….

Daybreak. Cloud silhouettes lie unstirring against a fiery red sky tinged with purple. Amidst the freshness of the morning air brought forth by the lightest of breezes, this rare tapestry evokes an involuntary gasp as I stand at the lift lobby in full admiration of nature’s awe-inspiring power.

This is the sight that rewards early risers. And I found myself among its fortunate recipients as I headed out to MacRitchie reservoir at 6:30 this morning to meet Anders, James and Catherine for the first time. We are all participating in the Gobi March commencing 25th June and had arranged for a morning run.

Exchanging ideas with fellow racers gave me an added impetus to my training. Or should I say an added alarm. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I received reminders that I need to up my training mileage, work my core muscles, buy my shoes, confirm my flights, and be a whole lot less nonchalant about my preparation.

So this afternoon I proceeded to check a few items off my to-do list: I bought a spanking new pair of New Balance MT876 trainers, confirmed my flights, made plans for another morning run tomorrow and stocked up on a few more pieces of gear.

I like.