Overcoming the void

15 April, 2024 - John Kinsella

"Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds". The original Marcus Garvey quote had the words "whilst others can free the body" dissecting the 2 lyrics of a verse by bob Marley in one of his most iconic songs, played solo, Redemption song. And like any runner the journey is personal and for most part solo. The long runs in bad weather after work, after a bad sleep, after a day of life's monotony. It's a solo gig and it's your journey. Only you can define what it means to win, to succeed and be happy with what you have done. Sometimes that journey can be cut short.
The finish line you had set in your mind that would define to you what a win is personally can be taking away. It's a sad place to be, I felt it and I'm sure others will. Just like the song we become slaves in our own minds, "my time is up", "I'm not good enough anymore", "I'll never get to that finish line". Luckily the left-out verse "whilst others can free the body" had a big impact on my journey because sometimes you need someone else to say you can still do it. I needed that, because I could not free my mind from the shackles of self-doubt.
Everyone can tell you how to succeed, how to win, but nobody can tell you how to lose or at least what to do when you think you can't win. There is no off ramp, it's either a podium or a void, but if you keep trying you will eventually reach that summit, even if it means taking the longest route.

Won't you help to sing...

Big thanks to my teammates for the positivity over the last year.

Redemption.