The Only Way for You to Become the Best is By Learning from the Best
This is a tried and true method.
Allyson Felix has become the most decorated American Track & Field star in Olympic history. Felix tied then beat the legendary Carl Lewis for the most Olympic medals won by a track athlete. Her 11th medal came as a member of the women’s 4x400 relay team that dusted the competition, bringing Felix her 7th gold medal. It was an incredible win by an incredible team.
What makes it more incredible for me is that Felix is 35 years old and the mother of a 2 1/2-year-old little girl. There were plenty of doubters who thought that Felix would be bested by much younger competitors or not even medal at all. Felix not only proved the doubters wrong, but she also proved that she will always be a chamption. Her daughter, back home in the United States, may not remember watching her mommy win at the Olympic Games. But it surely is a recording that she will watch over and over as she gets older.
This also reminds me of the tennis great Serena Williams. Williams who is also in her 30s and the mom of a young daughter has proved her doubters wrong time and time again. She’s won competitions and made it to the finals of major tennis tournaments. Williams, like Felix, has already cemented her place in sports history. She is one of the greatest tennis players of all time.
This is where we should all pay attention. These women are the best at what they do because they learned from the best. They trained with the best. They pushed themselves past their limits. They didn’t listen to the doubters — even if the doubters were themselves.
If you want to be the best at anything you must work hard and learn from your mistakes. Did Felix win every race? No. Did Williams win every tennis match? No. Did they give up? No. They learned from their mistakes and worked to improve their skills. That’s how they became the best at what they do.
I want to be the best writer I can be. I’ve attended conferences and workshops to improve my writing. I’ve had my writing critiqued by other writers. I’ve listened to my writing idols — Toni Morrison, Kiese Laymon, and Jacqueline Woodson — give talks about the craft of writing. These literary greats worked hard to get where they are in the world of words. I just want to become good enough to have my own little spot among them.
What do you want to be the best at? Writing? Running? Tennis? Whatever your goal is you must remember to stay focused, listen to the best, learn from the best, and hone your craft. Get your work out there. Get yourself out there. Be known locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. It won’t happen overnight (I’ve been working on my writing since 2015), but it will happen (I was recently awarded a poetry fellowship).
Patience is the key to everything.
