From Zero to Hero in Track and Field

The best advice that Joe Rogan ever got:

Be the hero of your movie. You’re the hero of your own documentary. Especially if you’re in a rough patch. Don’t you love those documentaries where the guy is fucked up and is at rock bottom, and then he gets his shit together?

I heard this in the JRE podcast. And it’s powerful stuff. He also said that you have to write stuff down, ex:

• Lift weights 3x this week
• Do two hours of yoga this week

Super inspired by this because, I’m in a similar rough patch where I was back in the first year of college. I didn’t exactly have a long term plan. I just joined orgs I wanted to join. But I did plant the seed that I wanted to join Track and Field back in freshman year. I never thought I’d actually do it.

But I did get my immortal, heroic peak moment.

At around second year, I distinctly remember looking outside in. I was on a concrete bench, watching the track and field athletes train, and I just sat down and watched them for 10 minutes.

I still didn’t think I’d ever get in. It just didn’t occur to me to seize that opportunity. My life was pretty shit, I didn’t know what I was doing and I felt that college was taking me instead of me taking college. I felt lonely and pretty purposeless. Classes were pretty hard and I had a hard time keeping up with max loaded units.

But I distinctly remember watching a crush of mine run on the track. Damn she looked fine. But I still had no idea that I could actually be on that track.

Nearing the end of my 2nd year in college, my friend James tried out for the team. I felt kinda sick that day. And I read Think Rich Grow Rich. I remember reading it. Then I thought, why not try out for Track? And then I countered myself (in my mind) “ you’re 2nd year, it’s so late, don’t even try." But then at a certain point I realized to myself:

If I don’t try now, when? I’ll be third year by the time another tryouts comes around.

So I asked a friend, Laxa, and he told me I was late, they started about a few days ago na, but still, come to tryouts in the afternoon tomorrow.

Then I fed my motivation. I couldn’t back down. I played some motivational audios.

No retreat, no surrender.

That was what I remembered clearly. I was in the shower playing the motivation audios/tapes. I clearly remember saying that to myself. Understanding that this is my only chance and I can’t make any sort of retreat or U-Turn. (And indeed it was)

I remember going into class the next day with a different sort of swagger. People seemed to notice, especially a cute girl in class who said “hey what’s up!” For the first time. I had a different aura. I had the mindset to take this chance, nothing is going to stop me, nothing.

I wish I had a diary to look back to during that time, because it was a tumultuous try out process. Many ups and downs especially with my perception of my performance compared to others.

But in the end, I got in.

And that’s what mattered.

I soon grew rapidly after a year. I started matching the throws of my teammates. I started going to the gym like a madman, bench pressing for days to beat others in competition. That was bliss.

And that’s my college hero story.