I watched the movie Race on the weekend. It’s the story of Jesse Owens and his journey to the Berlin Olympics in 1936. Whether you know much about the Jesse Owens story or not, I highly recommend this movie!
I love watching movies based on true stories because there are always so many lessons in them. This move was no exception. For me, the movie highlighted the importance of faith, focus, persistence and a positive support system in the pursuit of our goals. Jesse Owens had all of these elements in his journey to 4 goal medals and world records at the Olympics in Nazi Germany.
Movies like Race remind us that we have no excuse not to pursue our goals. We are reminded that there have been others who have had far more obstacles and challenges in the pursuit of their own goals and yet they were able to achieve what they were working towards. It would have been easy for Jesse to quit. Between race relations in the US and what was happening in Germany at the time, he could have found a justifiable reason to say he didn’t want to go to the Olympics and represent his country, but he didn’t.
Jesse Owens believed in himself and his abilities. Even when his belief faltered, he had the support of his family, his wife and his coach to remind him of how gifted he was. His coach believed in him so much that he did everything he could to support him in making it to the Olympics.
I think it’s important to note that Jesse was committed to learning to be the best. He didn’t rely on his natural talents to be enough to get him the gold medal. He was committed to doing whatever he needed to do to be the best.
Race is a great movie about a man who made history. Jesse Owens was able to accomplish all that he did when there were a lot of distractions that could have taken him off course. He remained focused, committed and driven to succeed. Traits we all require if we want to achieve our goals and live our best life!