I was out for a run at 5.30am this morning and my thoughts turned to the ANLP newsletter. I thought it would be remiss of me not to mention Andy Murray’s incredible Wimbledon victory on Sunday. He is Great Britain’s first men’s singles champion for 77 years. Not only that, Virginia Wade won Wimbledon in ’77 and Murray won his Championship title on 7/7…and my lucky number is 77, but I’m pretty sure that didn’t influence the match at all!
I started wondering how much the crowd may have supported Murray towards achieving this victory – surely their cheers and banners and encouragement must have helped? Certainly, Team Murray were influential, as Murray acknowledged at the end of the match. Having never been a natural sportsperson, I decided I would never know what that cheerleading would feel like!
I then noticed an elderly gentleman out in his front garden, pruning his hedge (yes, seriously, he was pruning his hedge at 5.30 in the morning!) – the first time I ran past, he said ‘good morning’…the second time I ran past (I run a circular route around our local park), he waved and smiled…and the third time, he shouted ‘go on, girl, keep going’. I went past him 7 times in all, and every time he uttered words of encouragement and cheered me on. And I found myself improving a little more every time I approached him!
So now I know – having someone cheering you on and routing for you does make a difference.
Of course, this doesn’t just apply to sports – having people to champion you and cheer you on is valuable in every aspect of your life. Take a moment this week to acknowledge those who support you in achieving your goals, and perhaps to recognise all those you support to becoming Champions too.