Giving Everything

Tim Speciale - April 14, 2021

This random memory is a demarcation line in my life. The before and the after times. In the before times I didn't know what what it even looks or feels like to give something 100%. In the aftertimes it is painfully obvious to me what "all in" actually means.

I often think about a conversation I had online a few years ago. It was over the finish of some bike race. I don’t recall what the race was or what the level of competition was; it does not matter. The guy who got 2nd place was winning until he wasn’t. Pipped at the line.

I was ignorant. I had either just started racing or, more likely, had never even raced a bike. I just assumed that 2nd place didn’t try hard enough. My take was a bad one and the group let me know it. I recall one response in particular.

“If you think that’s how this works, then you’ve never sprinted as hard as you could”

In retrospect that response had to have been true. I know this now.

The Before and The After Times

This random memory is a demarcation line in my life. The before and the after times. In the before times I didn’t know what what it even looks or feels like to give something 100%. In the after times it is painfully obvious to me what it means to actually give something everything.