Determination and resilience will take you there:

Solution for every obstacle

by Lionel Wijesiri

When you have sheer determination to achieve something, you will do whatever it takes to achieve that result. It is the force of your mind that becomes evident, which will not take 'no' for an answer. In your mind and heart, you have determined that there is a solution for every obstacle, and that you will discover each one of them.

When you have determination, you push beyond resistance in your mind, which says you can't do something, and you find a way to do it and do it well. With that same determination, you push yourself physically beyond your comfort level, to new heights of success. You have determined in your mind the end outcome and until you achieve that, you do not stop.

During the past few days I was watching the Rio Olympics and realized, there is nothing quite like the glory of winning an Olympic medal. Being on the podium, representing your country after years of blood, sweat, and tears - it's a priceless achievement, if there ever was one. Through sheer determination, thousands of people have achieved great results.

Karunananda

Last week, I saw how Mohammad Farah of Great Britain joined the ranks of men who have successfully defended their 10,000m title.

During this event, Farah accidentally tripped and fell on the 10th lap, but he sprang up and quickly returned to the lead pack. He out kicked several challengers from Kenya and Ethiopia in a blistering final-lap sprint. "I thought about all my hard work, and that it could all be gone in a minute," Farah said afterwards. "I wasn't going to let it go. I got up quickly."

As I watched this event, my mind flashed 52 years back to 1964 to Tokyo. I was just a teenager but I still remember Ranatunga Karunananda (also known as Marathon Karu), who represented Sri Lanka for the men's 5,000 metre and 10,000 metre competitions. He was a professional long distance runner. However, he became famous in the world of athletics for what he accomplished at that year's Olympics.

In the 10,000 metre race, Karunananda was soon overtaken by the leading athletes and was lapped four times when the winner, Billy Mills of the United States, broke the tape to finish the race. But Karunananda continued to run alone even after the others had finished the race. Spectators first started to jeer at him. But, when he came around a second time, there was silence. Finally, he finished the race amid cheers and applause.

Japanese reporter Haruo Suzuki was one of the first reporters to have an interview with Karunananda following the race. Instantly, the Japanese media started to acclaim Karunananda as a hero. When questioned, Karunananda told reporters: "The Olympic spirit is not to win, but to take part. So I came here. I took part in the 10,000 metres and completed my rounds."

Karunananda's Olympic story has been entered into Japanese school textbooks. In 1975, Karunananda was offered a vacancy in Japan in appreciation of his deed. But, a few days before he was to leave Sri Lanka, Karunananda died.

For me, Karunananda was always a hero. He displayed the commitment and determination he had for the game and did what was expected of him.

Two forces

Ask any successful athlete how to reach your goal. He will warn you that on the road to your goal there will be sharp turns, crossroads, steep inclines, obstructions, potholes, boulders and delays. He will also advise you that the best way to reach your goal is to enlist two powerful forces, namely, determination and resilience.

Determination starts with the decision to go for the goal, to make the commitment to attain the goal. It focuses the mind on the end result and strengthens the will to carry on.

Resilience is essential to get around the barriers on the road to attainment. Resilience is the ability to be creative, deal with impediments, make a plan, solve a difficult situation and cope with adversity. It also entails the ability to be flexible and adaptable to handle changing circumstances and still keep the goal in mind.

The combination of determination and resilience is a powerful alliance to attain good results, from winning a game to winning a war.

Good advice

The Olympic winners will tell you the same: "We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort." - (Jesse Owens- track and field gold medallist)

"Nothing is impossible. With so many people saying it couldn't be done, all it takes is a lot of hard work, determination and imagination." - (Michael Phelps, gold medallist in swimming).

"If you don't have confidence, you'll always find a way not to win." - (Carl Lewis, gold medallist in track and field)

"As simple as it sounds, we must try to be the best person we can: by making the best choices, by making the most of the talents we've been given." - (Mary Lou Retton, gold medallist in gymnastics)

"Nothing can substitute for just plain hard work. I had to put in the time to get back. And it was a grind. It meant training and sweating every day. But I was fully committed to working out to prove to myself that I still could do it." - (Andre Agassi, gold medallist in tennis)

"Focus, discipline, hard work, goal setting and, of course, the thrill of finally achieving your goals. These are all lessons in life." - (Kristi Yamaguchi, gold medallist in figure skating)

Take their advice

All of them cannot go wrong. After all, they are all gold medalists - world winners. They are talking out of their experience.

Like them, you too can be a winner. Sheer determination with discipline, patience, focus, and stamina can propel you to reach your goal.