Your Dreams Must be Bigger than your Excuses

You’ve likely come across people who have an excuse ready for every challenge that comes their way. It is very difficult to achieve a goal if we justify our lack of dedication or effort with an excuse for not doing something that seems difficult. But what happens when the opposite occurs? History is filled with examples of people who put actions before excuses.

There are no goals without obstacles

A young Kenyan named Kipchoge Keino had become the most promising athlete in his country. He had trained for years to compete in the 1,500-meter run and was finally selected to participate in the 1968 Olympic Games held in Mexico. Due to his determined character and numerous local sporting achievements, he was also entered in other athletic competitions in the Olympics.

Keino was running fast on the track during the 10,000-meter race. Although he was ahead of several opponents and only had two laps to go, the expression of pain on his face worsened and he had to stop. At the doctor’s office, they gave him bad news: the athlete had a gallbladder infection, which was causing him intense pain. The doctors prohibited him from running again.

Up to that point, Keino had already achieved a feat by running five races in one week and winning a silver medal in the 5,000-meter run. Nevertheless, the athlete had prepared his entire life for the last event of the Olympics: the 1,500-meter run. That was his dream.

If we had been in Keino’s shoes, many of us might have been satisfied. After all, he had won a silver medal, and he was sick-what more could you ask for?

The painful price of achieving a dream

On the day of the 1,500-meter run, Keino was the last athlete to

Diego Barahona A.

arrive. He had managed to escape his nurses’ care, and he was once again on the track wearing his country’s colors.

When the starting gun sounded, the crowd, unaware of the drama that was taking place, watched in amazement as the Kenyan athlete began to get ahead of the favorite: American Jim Ryun, holder of the world record for this event.

With each step Keino suffered intense pain, yet the less experienced athlete managed to hang on and take the lead. The pain intensified on the last lap of the race. The experienced runner Ryun began to pick up his pace to catch up with Keino. But the Kenyan athlete did not let him catch him-- Keino beat Ryun and won the gold medal by 20 meters, the largest margin of victory in the history of the event up to that time. You can find videos of this race on YouTube.

Four years later, recovered from his infection, Keino won the gold medal in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and the silver medal in the 1,500-meter run at the 1972 Munich Olympics. After this feat, a whole generation of runners from Kenya began to dominate the athletic fields of the world.

Anything that is worthwhile requires effort

With this story, we are in no way trying to tell you that you should disregard medical advice. This true-life tale just shows how far a person can go if he has the conviction to overcome an obstacle. In addition, it reveals how an act of courage can inspire a whole country or a whole generation. In our community there are many immigrants who, due to their dedication and effort, are also a source of inspiration.

Writer William Arthur Ward said, “It is wise to direct your anger towards problems-- not people; to focus your energies on answers-not excuses.”