I won’t be challenging Usain Bolt

I heard an Olympic champion proclaim the other day that her success was proof that anything’s possible if you want it badly enough.

That might be true in her case, but in mine it’s just not so. No matter how much I want to win the 100 metre sprint, it’s never going to happen.

But that’s OK. To me, the single most important contributor to avoiding frustration and enjoying emotional balance despite living with FA is having the right perspective. Consider the following lesson from the world’s greatest private detective: Now, a few words on looking for things: When you go looking for something specific, your chances of finding it are very bad. Because of all the things in the world, you’re only looking for one of them. When you go looking for anything at all, your chances of finding it are very good. Because of all the things in the world, you’re sure to find some of them. Daryl Zero, The Zero Effect (If you’ve never seen the movie, do. It’s wonderful!)

I face the world with a perspective that’s similar. If I have only one specific goal, my chances of achieving it are slim because of all the things I could achieve, I only aspire to one of them. On the other hand, if I aim to enjoy myself, try hard, bring positive energy and feel satisfaction at anything I do, my chances of achieving those objectives are very good indeed because I do lots of things.

I know FA imposes limitations on me so I only take on projects that I can realistically manage. I don’t just give up and do nothing. I do challenge myself but I’m constantly reassessing so my expectations are realistic. I might be the only one who knows what those expectations are at any time, particularly if I’ve needed to readjust them for any reason, but I’ll enjoy real satisfaction if I meet them.

I’m more an Omnilympics kind of person. Something’s possible so I’ll do that. And then I’ll say, in the immortal words of President Bartlet: “What’s next?”