I always consider every small yet meaningful thing as a stepping stone to bigger success.

Authored by Hima Das, Indian Sprint Runner

I could feel that excitement was running high in my vein but at the same time, a bout of tension was gripping me fast. For me, the joy of winning the 400-m final at the World U-20 Championships 2018 at Tampere, Finland, did not reach the peak unless I spoke to my family back in Assam. But when I called my family, little did they realize my achievement then. Come next morning, the world around me changed completely. Not only my family members but everyone at my village took great pride in the feat I made far away in Finland. 

With lots of love and appreciation from the nation, including from our Hon’ble Prime Minister and President, I felt my heart swelling with pride and joy. Indeed, my victory at the World U-20 Championships 2018 will remain the most cherished moment of my life. 

I come from a small town in India, called Dhing, and from a village that is even smaller. My journey so far has been anything but easy, as with small towns, come the small town blues. However, all such things did not deter my spirit or my enthusiasm to make it big for myself, for my parents, and for my village, of course. My dedication was always big, and so were my aims and dreams.

My first tryst with sports began when I started playing football with the boys in my school. Shamsul Hoque of Navodaya Vidyalaya spotted my blistering speed on the football pitch and motivated me to take up athletics. I loved to run and after joining the National camp in Assam, I was dedicated to my training. Since then, I have been running like my life depends on it. But breaking a record and creating a history was always beyond my wildest dreams. And today, as an Indian athlete and an Assamese girl, I consider myself extremely fortunate. 
No doubt, I am lucky that I am blessed with a lot of natural talent. However, my success has been all due to my dedication, hard work, and discipline. I could run in 400 meter even if I wouldn’t have been trained in that sense. But when it comes to winning a medal, it is all about my rigorous training regime as well as my hard work to take good care of my body and mind under the guidance of my coach. 

I always believe whatever we do throughout the day reflects our personality. I usually have a fixed routine for my training and diet. But I equally give importance to stay disciplined throughout. And during these days, I have experienced how such little things in my daily routine left a big impact on my performance. 

In the game of athletics, every such small thing paves the path for winning big, every time. Probably, that is the reason, I never run after gold medals. Instead, I run after time. Because I know once I get that time, gold medals will run after me. So, even when I am on track and surrounded by eminent medal winners, I keep my focus on the time, not on whether I will be able to win any medal. This mindset helps me keep all tensions away from me. After all, how would I run my race if I am tense? 

As a sports person, I strongly admit that we need to inculcate good things in our lives, no matter how small they are. Because from every small thing, we get the foundation required to rise up and win our big dreams. That is why, no matter what life throws at you, you should keep it simple, short, and flexible. I always suggest that one should outperform oneself. Never underestimate even your smallest potentials, as they can make your way to success someday. And that’s how I consider small wins big, both on and off the tracks...! 

What are your small moments or things that help you win at work? Share with us on Facebook & Twitter. #SmallWinsBig