Category Archives: My Lessons

Lessons from Roald Dahl: Ugly thoughts

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When I was growing up, no author ‘spoke’ to me more than what Roald Dahl did. In my little world, it seemed as if only he knew what it was like to be me. So when I found the Roald Dahl collection of books a while back, I was thrilled. Every now and then I pick one up and read a paragraph or two. The one I seem to go back to the most is The Twits.

Dahl’s account of The Twits has been etched in my memory ever since I was a little girl. The way they lived and how they treated one another and everyone else, including animals horrified me. As a child, I hoped to never come across people that ugly. How ironic that as an adult, I do. To this day, when I see a man with a big beard, I always imagine food stuck in it just like Mr Twit. *yuck*

The story always leaves me smiling. Not only is it filled with clever humour, but also such great lessons about life. Here’s one of my favourite examples:

Thank-you Mr Dahl. Thank-you.

** Reference: Roald Dahl’s Scrumdiddlyumptious Story Collection. 2007.

SUCCESS by Neil Tovey

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Soccer legend, Neil Tovey presented at a workshop I attended this week. My initial reaction when I heard he was coming was panic. I planned to keep as far away from him as possible for fear that he would sniff out my lack of knowledge about anything football/soccer. But surprisingly, he is a pretty casual, down to earth kinda guy. Over and above sharing some really cool stories about Bafana, Neil shared with us his take on S.U.C.C.E.S.S.

S – Solid Foundation

Laying a solid foundation is key to future success and is key to achieving your desired goals. You need to build this platform before embarking on any journey.

U – Unlimited Resources

Without people, we will fail. Each individual is an integral part of the journey. This not only includes the players but also those behind the scenes; the medical staff, finance etc. Do not underestimate the role these people play in your success.

C – Communication

It’s important that people communicate from the top down, bottom up and across all levels. Your game plan will fail if you get into the field to play a game and the team cannot communicate to one another, especially leaders to the rest of the team.

C – Committment

Go the extra mile. Put in the extra work. It’s worth it in the end.

E – Enjoyment

Do everything to the best of your ability. Enjoy doing it. Have fun.

S – Sacrifice

Time spent away from home playing games. Time put in to train. Time away from family and friends. To achieve success you need to be willing to make the sacrifice.

S – Setting goals

You need to decide where you want to be? Where are you going? Are you getting there? This matters to all aspects of our lives, both work and family.

Neil related many examples to soccer but as I listened, I realised that with all of the above, you can use for anything in life: family, career, sport, even friendships.

The important thing is that if one fails, most of the others do too.

5 things I’ll remember from London 2012

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It’s all over. As quickly as the Olympic Games arrived, it ended even quicker. But wow, what a great two weeks it was! There were many highs and lows but five key things stood out for me:

1. Pushing yourself to the limit … and then going even further.

It was absolutely incredible to see so many personal bests, new Olympic and World records being set and competitors pushing themselves beyond what they thought possible. What stood out for me? The runners, of course. But watching the weightlifter’s step out on the mat, time and time again, to lift weights that seemed impossible to lift was fascinating to watch. Maybe it’s the smack from the coach across the face that did the trick or the loud shout before the lift? But there’s definitely a look on their faces that you start recognising which tells you ‘they’ve got this in the bag’.

2. Different strokes for different folks.

I really enjoyed most of the swimming, track & field and gymnastic events, but I must be honest when I say that there were some events which I did not watch. In fact I am baffled by the fact that they are even part of the Olympics at all and yet hundreds of spectators filled the grandstands to watch these events. It made me realise that maybe I don’t enjoy watching them but others do. I guess we’re all different and we all enjoy different things.

3. Great legends come with great responsibilities.

I watched in awe and amazement every time two of my favourite stars of this year’s Olympics, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps, came out to compete. However, both ‘legends’ acted very differently in front of the crowds and cameras. Phelps was humble and took time to congratulate other swimmers. Bolt on the other hand revelled in the limelight and became a tad too arrogant for my liking. What disturbs me somewhat is that younger athletes look up to them and I do not know if Bolt realises the power he now holds and the message and image he portrays. Legend, yes. But role model? I’m not so sure.

4. I love you South Africa!

My country is a proud one and one to be proud of! Watching the four gold medallist rowers belt out our national anthem was such an emotional sight! Seeing both Bridgitte Hartley and Caster Semenya’s infectious smiles on the podium was stunning and made me smile too! And who can forget Bert Le Clos – no explanation necessary. I can still hear him saying, “Beautiful!” in his husky voice. I am filled to the brim with pride!

5. Even good athletes give up, but great ones don’t.

I watched the women’s marathon with keen interest because two of my favourite South African runners were participating, but my attention was on the runner who came stone last.  Ireland’s Catriona Jennings in my mind demonstrated true guts and determination. The awesomeness of the crowds as they cheered Jennings home over the final agonising mile of the marathon. Crippled with the pain of a foot injury, Jennings finished last in the women’s race, a full hour after the winners. She was overcome with emotion and I’ll never forget the visible pain on her face as she crossed the finish line and bawled her eyes out.

The lesson: She did not give up, no matter how much it hurt. She showed me that even great athletes also have bad races; even good runners can struggle and come last, but winners never quit.

See you in Rio!

Finding inspiration when and where I least expected it

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I had good intentions of going for a run yesterday. First, I left my running kit at home, so I landed up missing time trial. Then I got home early enough but blamed the chilliness of the afternoon and not knowing what to wear. Then my iPod was flat. I casually tweeted about it (as one does) and received this reply:So I went to gym and came home smiling. Not because I felt great having run 5kms like I wanted to. Not because I got home all sweaty and red in the face (which I love). Not because I scored an extra point with Vitality. But because of these reasons:

The thin woman with the prosthetic leg was on the stretching mat. At first glance you don’t notice it but look long enough and you see the metal linking the shoe to the shorts. She reminded me to be grateful that I have both my legs and can run. No excuses.

 

Crazy face (that’s what I call her) was on the bike as she is every evening. Dressed in an over-sized T-shirt with hair tied back and an alice band, she pushes herself on the bike for a full hour until she is dripping in sweat. Eyes closed, her body bobs to her own rhythm on the bike. 

John Coffey waved me hello. If you’ve seen ‘The Green Mile’ you will know that I am referring to a huge black man who is so big but has a heart of gold. My Coffey is usually on the treadmill walking on a level 5. It’s slow but it doesn’t matter. He’s still doing more than most.

 

It wasn’t the skinny chicks checking out their hair in the mirror or the muscled okes hoping you’d see them lifting weights. It was those three unlikely characters that left me quite inspired. It’s as if they were placed there on purpose for me last night to remind me that there are no excuses to skip gym.

I’m glad I went.