In times of my life, I came across situations where it is always about making the right decision. It can be anything, just about anything that we all live through in this world. So here is a little tale of mine I would like to share, something truly wonderful I realize recently…or perhaps, a choice I made long ago before I knew it was already in me.
I became a triathlete in 2006, took it seriously as a career because I wanted to pursue my dream. I love multi-sports when I was a kid, I felt the thrill when I saw it on television so I told myself on day I would be one these multi-sports athletes. Of course, my dream came true as I put effort and time into it. So it has been 3 years down the road now being a triathlete; train, eat, sleep, and train again…the same thing over and over again every single day. I never got bored of it seriously, I just love it, and it has already become part of me. Perhaps, I should even say it has already become a lifestyle. I train alone, depending on no one else but myself, just like any other triathletes and ironmans around the world. Even though I have a coach, but still I have always been left to be independent because this is what triathlon is all about; achieving it by your own self!
A month ago when I was in Brunei, I rejoined the hash group like I used to back in 2003. There I met my old friends, and it is always good to see them. A friend of mine, Jaap, who is also a triathlete by hobby has been very successful too. He has competed in numerous triathlons and half-ironman as well. Jaap is a great guy to be honest, at his age he is considered to be pretty fast. So after the hash run, we all sat down for dinner in a café. That is when Jaap gave me a question that I thought no one would ever ask me. So finally, that question came and I have always been ready to answer.
“Jack, do you realize being a triathlete or ironman made you a selfish person?” asked Jaap.
I was in silence for a moment where everyone was looking at me.
“True enough, I do realize I have been over the years.” say I.
Hence, the discussion began on how triathlon has evolved our lives and made us what we are today. Jaap made a very critical point by saying “just because we train by ourselves everyday and not relying on anyone else, we have become more independent as we have to or otherwise we will not survive during races”. That was as true enough as I couldn’t agree any further, as I felt it within myself. And the independence within us have somehow transform into a selfishness as well, it gives us the power to be confident, firm, strong, courageous, brave, self-believe, and trust ourselves.
Yes, being a triathlete is never easy as overcoming many obstacles is always handed singularly. We do not depend on others; swim, bike, run…these 3 very disciplines have shown us how we have to overcome the difficulties we would encounter individually. We are constantly pushing ourselves through our limits, there is never enough as there is always room for improvement. When we are out there racing, there is no one to help us to finish or win the race but our own selves. There is no one to drag us while we swim in the rough seas, there is no one to block the strong head wind for us while we cycle, and there is no one to carry umbrella for us while we run under the cruel heat. Yet, to survive and finish the race is done by us alone.
It’s an agonizing task that we endure, as we want to. Swim 1500m, bike 40km, and run 10km in triathlon. Then swim 3.8km, bike 180.2km, and run 42.2km in ironman. That is what we do, that is what we want, and that is what we have in our life.
So from then onwards, I started to realize how selfish and independent I have become consciously. The reality is I only care about myself nowadays; my trainings, my nutrition, my life, my goals, my plan, my schedule, and that I am have become my very own top priority. Sometimes it even feels there is nothing else to bother but myself. In fact, I do not work well with others too as I believe in myself more than I do to anyone else, I just don’t trust others as I much as I trust myself. Jaap also pointed out he was also like that in his younger days and never really work well with his colleagues because he felt he could handle it all by himself and trust his himself more than he trust others. We did admit that it is a bad attitude, and there is certainly a need to change. But yet, still…it was a choice we made before we even knew what we got ourselves into.
You see, the thing is what you do changes you as a person because when what you do becomes a routine then in times it will become a habit. So as I point I see in myself, at first it was tough to be in triathlon and training full-time wasn’t easy. But the human body is capable of adaptation biologically so it has become a lifestyle since then, where I no longer find difficulties living through triathlon.
Then of course, my family has always been complaining about my selfishness at home. Indeed I am selfish, as each time I got home from training I would be tired and not bother to do anything else, where as my family never really understand how tiring it is to be a triathlete. And the independence I have at home is another world apart from my family where I don’t even share the same dinner as they do, of course the reason would I have to look after my own nutrition.
People always tell me that they don’t really have any choices because they think what they have is all they have got left. But that’s not true, because the world is a bigger than one can ever imagine. Everyone has choices, it’s either given or found, and never it is a must to be taken. I made my decision clear that I wanted to be a triathlete, and I never regretted though I have to go through all the hardship till today. And even that means having a hard time with my family, I still endure and try my best to make them understand.
Everything comes in a package of good and bad, there is a balance in that because it is given by nature to face its challenges by you. The good would be the reward, and the bad would be the learning outcome. Hanging in the balance of both gives you nothing but emptiness, so it’s critical to know what you know you want best for your life and never regret it because you gotta know and understand it well. This is to reassure yourself by not putting the blame on others once you have failed. Success does not come without failures of course, only determination and not giving up rewards you what you want at the end of the day.
See it or believe it because the decision you make will justify whom you are. It is not an option, yet it is a choice and that gives you the power to your own life. Directions come differently in life too, as shown in all roads that many signboards lead to different places. It doesn’t force you to take one direction but it gives you optional choices to choose from, where in the end it is up to you to decide where you wanna go. Don’t blame others for your choices for it is your own, because nobody can take away for what you are within your soul.
As I am what I am today, there have been good and bad through its time. I may have lost certain things but I have never regretted for making the decision when I was only 13. Today, I am proud to be a triathlete I must say. For what I have achieved, I’m glad I did and I’ve discovered my capabilities. For what I have failed, I’m grateful that I have learned my lessons and pursue to be better again. There is always time for changes, and it takes is just effort to make it better. I know I’m selfish, and I know I can get rid of this behavior which has affected my love ones. I’m not changing for them nor for myself, but it is for a better day where life can be brought to greater happiness and appreciation. Till then, I may achieve another great ordeal in life to tell another tale. What says you? Live it, or…do it!
By Jacques Yvez
I became a triathlete in 2006, took it seriously as a career because I wanted to pursue my dream. I love multi-sports when I was a kid, I felt the thrill when I saw it on television so I told myself on day I would be one these multi-sports athletes. Of course, my dream came true as I put effort and time into it. So it has been 3 years down the road now being a triathlete; train, eat, sleep, and train again…the same thing over and over again every single day. I never got bored of it seriously, I just love it, and it has already become part of me. Perhaps, I should even say it has already become a lifestyle. I train alone, depending on no one else but myself, just like any other triathletes and ironmans around the world. Even though I have a coach, but still I have always been left to be independent because this is what triathlon is all about; achieving it by your own self!
A month ago when I was in Brunei, I rejoined the hash group like I used to back in 2003. There I met my old friends, and it is always good to see them. A friend of mine, Jaap, who is also a triathlete by hobby has been very successful too. He has competed in numerous triathlons and half-ironman as well. Jaap is a great guy to be honest, at his age he is considered to be pretty fast. So after the hash run, we all sat down for dinner in a café. That is when Jaap gave me a question that I thought no one would ever ask me. So finally, that question came and I have always been ready to answer.
“Jack, do you realize being a triathlete or ironman made you a selfish person?” asked Jaap.
I was in silence for a moment where everyone was looking at me.
“True enough, I do realize I have been over the years.” say I.
Hence, the discussion began on how triathlon has evolved our lives and made us what we are today. Jaap made a very critical point by saying “just because we train by ourselves everyday and not relying on anyone else, we have become more independent as we have to or otherwise we will not survive during races”. That was as true enough as I couldn’t agree any further, as I felt it within myself. And the independence within us have somehow transform into a selfishness as well, it gives us the power to be confident, firm, strong, courageous, brave, self-believe, and trust ourselves.
Yes, being a triathlete is never easy as overcoming many obstacles is always handed singularly. We do not depend on others; swim, bike, run…these 3 very disciplines have shown us how we have to overcome the difficulties we would encounter individually. We are constantly pushing ourselves through our limits, there is never enough as there is always room for improvement. When we are out there racing, there is no one to help us to finish or win the race but our own selves. There is no one to drag us while we swim in the rough seas, there is no one to block the strong head wind for us while we cycle, and there is no one to carry umbrella for us while we run under the cruel heat. Yet, to survive and finish the race is done by us alone.
It’s an agonizing task that we endure, as we want to. Swim 1500m, bike 40km, and run 10km in triathlon. Then swim 3.8km, bike 180.2km, and run 42.2km in ironman. That is what we do, that is what we want, and that is what we have in our life.
So from then onwards, I started to realize how selfish and independent I have become consciously. The reality is I only care about myself nowadays; my trainings, my nutrition, my life, my goals, my plan, my schedule, and that I am have become my very own top priority. Sometimes it even feels there is nothing else to bother but myself. In fact, I do not work well with others too as I believe in myself more than I do to anyone else, I just don’t trust others as I much as I trust myself. Jaap also pointed out he was also like that in his younger days and never really work well with his colleagues because he felt he could handle it all by himself and trust his himself more than he trust others. We did admit that it is a bad attitude, and there is certainly a need to change. But yet, still…it was a choice we made before we even knew what we got ourselves into.
You see, the thing is what you do changes you as a person because when what you do becomes a routine then in times it will become a habit. So as I point I see in myself, at first it was tough to be in triathlon and training full-time wasn’t easy. But the human body is capable of adaptation biologically so it has become a lifestyle since then, where I no longer find difficulties living through triathlon.
Then of course, my family has always been complaining about my selfishness at home. Indeed I am selfish, as each time I got home from training I would be tired and not bother to do anything else, where as my family never really understand how tiring it is to be a triathlete. And the independence I have at home is another world apart from my family where I don’t even share the same dinner as they do, of course the reason would I have to look after my own nutrition.
People always tell me that they don’t really have any choices because they think what they have is all they have got left. But that’s not true, because the world is a bigger than one can ever imagine. Everyone has choices, it’s either given or found, and never it is a must to be taken. I made my decision clear that I wanted to be a triathlete, and I never regretted though I have to go through all the hardship till today. And even that means having a hard time with my family, I still endure and try my best to make them understand.
Everything comes in a package of good and bad, there is a balance in that because it is given by nature to face its challenges by you. The good would be the reward, and the bad would be the learning outcome. Hanging in the balance of both gives you nothing but emptiness, so it’s critical to know what you know you want best for your life and never regret it because you gotta know and understand it well. This is to reassure yourself by not putting the blame on others once you have failed. Success does not come without failures of course, only determination and not giving up rewards you what you want at the end of the day.
See it or believe it because the decision you make will justify whom you are. It is not an option, yet it is a choice and that gives you the power to your own life. Directions come differently in life too, as shown in all roads that many signboards lead to different places. It doesn’t force you to take one direction but it gives you optional choices to choose from, where in the end it is up to you to decide where you wanna go. Don’t blame others for your choices for it is your own, because nobody can take away for what you are within your soul.
As I am what I am today, there have been good and bad through its time. I may have lost certain things but I have never regretted for making the decision when I was only 13. Today, I am proud to be a triathlete I must say. For what I have achieved, I’m glad I did and I’ve discovered my capabilities. For what I have failed, I’m grateful that I have learned my lessons and pursue to be better again. There is always time for changes, and it takes is just effort to make it better. I know I’m selfish, and I know I can get rid of this behavior which has affected my love ones. I’m not changing for them nor for myself, but it is for a better day where life can be brought to greater happiness and appreciation. Till then, I may achieve another great ordeal in life to tell another tale. What says you? Live it, or…do it!
By Jacques Yvez
1 comment:
I think that its kind of the same as my situation..just that i dont do 3 diciplines...
hmm...
as an athlete we tend to be selfish...moreover its an individual sport...
to win i think there's a need to be selfish.
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