Uncertainty is one of the most powerful forces in the human mind. It is able to prevent any person, regardless of the immensity of their potential, from reaching their most deep and desired goals. Like most people, Billy Mills' life as a young adult began permeated with uncertainty. After growing up as an american indian, he decided to leave his family behind in order to go off to college and make a name for himself as a professional runner; and thus began his journey...
The decision of moving 650 miles away from home was the start of a thoroughgoing didactic experience in many aspects of his life. First off, he was put in a position where he had to interact with numerous other people who all had different backgrounds and interests. Inevitable clashes resulted from this, but like all learning experiences, sometimes it has to be hard in order to learn the relevant lessons.
His competitiveness pushed Billy further to new limits, but something always seemed to hold him back. After meeting the woman he loved and having his college life seemingly under control, Billy one day disappeared without explanations and went back to his indian reservation. Life can be noisy sometimes. All the excitement of a fast-paced life can bring along heightened interference. When we experience this interference, we start getting disconnected from ourselves, and also feeling somehow disconnected from everything and everyone around us. It seems lonely, and even hopeless. After his stay at the reservation, Billy's epiphany was cathartic enough to make him drive 10 hours back to his beloved fiancée Patricia, who was the first person that started giving Billy a significant purpose in life, someone worth fighting for.
Billy kept improving himself, and his running started to increasingly revive. It isn't until his first daughter is born that Billy reaches the climax of his potential, as his little girl is the last puzzle piece to finding himself. This life-changing moment leads Billy into the milestone of his career: winning the Olympic medal in Tokyo in 1964. This monumental race is in itself a reflection of Billy's race through life. During a moment near the end of the race, Billy is pushed off his lane and is drawn back. As nobody expects him to recover, Billy brings out the force and will power of a purposeful strong man and takes the lead during the very last seconds of the race, leading the astonishing victory home to the United States of America.
Billy Mills is a dad. After his professional accomplishments, he has dedicated his life to helping indian american teenagers find direction, just like he needed when he was growing up. I believe his daughter's birth is the event that awakened his paternal instinct strongly enough to serve as a trigger for him to become the better version of himself he could ever be. His journey is an inspiring story that helped me understand that uncertainty is a part of life, but I have in my hands all the power to make a choice... the choice to not let it overwhelm me.
