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If You Only Watch One Video This Week, Make It This One

This might be one of the greatest conversations Mel has ever had on this podcast. Today, you’re getting an absolute masterclass in motivation from one of the greatest athletes walking this earth: Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. If you’ve ever felt self-doubt, pressure, or like your best days are behind you, you’re in the right place. In this conversation, Shelly-Ann does not hold back. Shelly-Ann is the most decorated 100-meter sprinter of all time, male or female. She has won Olympic gold 3 times. She has won 10 gold medals at the World Championships, with 2 of them coming after she gave birth to her son Zyon. She is going to tell you: you are not supposed to be average. You are built for excellence and extraordinary things. But this isn't a conversation about being an athlete. This conversation is about building an unstoppable mindset and being the best version of yourself, no matter where you are in life. In this episode, you’ll learn how to: -Build the mindset of a champion -Use visualization to prepare for high-pressure moments -Stop focusing on constant comparison and worrying about what everyone else is doing -Bounce back after failure -Believe in your dream before anyone else understands it You’ll also hear a powerful message about the power Shelly-Ann gained after becoming a mother and not listening to people who told her she had to choose between motherhood and her career. Get ready, because Shelly-Ann is about to speak directly to your soul and inspire you to become your greatest self. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page: https://www.melrobbins.com/episode/episode-420/ Follow The Mel Robbins Podcast on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themelrobbinspodcast I’m just your friend. I am not a licensed therapist, and this podcast is NOT intended as a substitute for the advice of a physician, professional coach, psychotherapist, or other qualified professional. Got it? Good. I’ll see you in the next episode. In this episode: 00:00 Introduction 03:15 Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future 09:21 How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential 10:49 How to Transform Your Life In One Year 22:52 How to Believe in Yourself When Your Dream Feels Impossible 28:24 Visualization for Success: How Olympic Athletes Train Their Minds to Win 34:25 How to Finally Stop Comparing Yourself to Others 38:19 Motivation vs. Discipline: What Really Creates Long-Term Success? 41:42 How to Set Higher Standards and Build Better Habits 45:18 How to Make a Comeback After Failure or Setbacks 53:30 Motherhood and Career: How to Pursue Your Dreams Without Giving Up Either 01:00:15 Why You Are Never Too Old to Achieve Your Dreams 01:08:43 How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential 01:20:11 How to Create an Extraordinary Life — Follow Mel: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melrobbins/ TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@melrobbins Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melrobbins LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melrobbins Website: http://melrobbins.com​ — Sign up for Mel’s newsletter: https://melrob.co/sign-up-newsletter A note from Mel to you, twice a week, sharing simple, practical ways to build the life you want. — Subscribe to Mel’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/melrobbins​?sub_confirmation=1 — Listen to The Mel Robbins Podcast 🎧 New episodes drop every Monday & Thursday! https://melrob.co/spotify https://melrob.co/applepodcasts https://melrob.co/amazonmusic — Looking for Mel’s books on Amazon? Find them here: The Let Them Theory: https://amzn.to/3IQ21Oe The Let Them Theory Audiobook: https://amzn.to/413SObp The High 5 Habit: https://amzn.to/3fMvfPQ The 5 Second Rule: https://amzn.to/4l54fah

Shelly-Ann Fraser-PryceguestMel Robbinshost
Aug 3, 20261h 24mWatch on YouTube ↗

EVERY SPOKEN WORD

  1. 0:00 – 3:15

    Introduction

    1. SF

      One year of being intentional got me an Olympic gold medal, just one year.

    2. MR

      Just one year.

    3. SF

      Just one year. So a lot can happen in a year.

    4. MR

      What you're about to learn is gonna help you turn your dreams into reality.

    5. SF

      I became a mom, and I won a world championship two years after having my son. Time will honor your greatness.

    6. MR

      Visualization is something that you use in your training. How do you use it?

    7. SF

      On a Friday-

    8. MR

      Yes

    9. SF

      ... when we train, we actually train our minds on a Friday. We call it mental training. 'Cause before you can achieve anything, you have to see it in your mind first. Visualization is you putting yourself in a winning position before you have won.

    10. MR

      Mm.

    11. SF

      Visualization is something that you don't have to pay for. You don't need money for it. You just need to sit with yourself and see it, that presentation, that hard conversation, that relationship that you probably need to end, that friendship that you need to walk away from and you don't know how to do it. Do it in your mind first. It becomes easier after.

    12. MR

      What has losing and failure taught you that winning never could?

    13. SF

      Failure tells you how.

    14. MR

      Failure tells you how.

    15. SF

      How. Yeah, because when you fail, you realize, okay then, the next thing is-

    16. MR

      I am so glad you're here. This episode with Shelly-Ann is extraordinary. But before we jump into it and how you build an unstoppable mindset, my team was showing me this. 53% of you who watch The Mel Robbins Podcast here on YouTube are not subscribers. Here's the deal. If that subscribe button is lit up, it means you're not a subscriber. My goal is to get that number to 50%. If you love what we're doing here, it would be amazing for you to just hit subscribe. It's the best way to show us that you love the show, you love these extraordinary experts that we're bringing on, like Shelly-Ann today, to be your personal coach, and that way you're not gonna miss a thing. So thank you, thank you, thank you for hitting subscribe. Thank you for being here on YouTube. Now, let's jump in to how you build an unstoppable mindset with Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce. You're gonna love this.

    17. SF

      Thank you. Thank you so much for having me.

    18. MR

      Thank you for saying yes. Thank you for traveling all this way. I, I am so excited to learn from you. You have this energy that is infectious. I feel like I'm in a stadium-

    19. SF

      Yes

    20. MR

      ... of fans that are celebrating. You have an effervescence to you that is contagious.

    21. SF

      Thank you. Thank you.

    22. MR

      Is that what makes you run so fast? Like, I don't, like, I-

    23. SF

      [laughs] I wish. I wish it was so easy. [laughs]

    24. MR

      Well, I'm glad you're here because, uh, we're gonna be talking a lot about mindset.

    25. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    26. MR

      And I have a feeling that you're also about to teach us a lot of wisdom about something deeper than mindset.

    27. SF

      Yeah. Correct.

    28. MR

      And I'd love to start by having you speak directly to the person who's with us right now, and they may be feeling overwhelmed or full of self-doubt or feeling

  2. 3:15 – 9:21

    Your Past Does Not Determine Your Future

    1. MR

      like they're too old or too young or worried about everybody else's opinion.

    2. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    3. MR

      If they take everything to heart that you're about to teach us from your remarkable life so far-

    4. SF

      [laughs]

    5. MR

      ... what could there be that could change about their life?

    6. SF

      Well, Mel, here's what I would say for me personally. Growing up in Kingston, in Waterhouse, I had to decide, and I think that's the most important thing I would say to, to anyone that's listening, is to decide. Is to say to yourself, "I want to move from a place of average to a place of excellence." I've always been taught that I have to be and become extraordinary, and in order to be and become extraordinary, you have to decide in your mind, what is it that you're gonna hold on to? What is it that you're gonna tell yourself? And you have to really commit to the positive and encouraging things that you tell yourself, 'cause that's the only way you're gonna move from average to great. So that's what I would say. Decide who you want to be. Decide on, you know, just where you want to end up in next 5, 10 years. And every morning that you get up, you decide to put one foot in front of the other, and say, "I'm gonna be great. I'm gonna be extraordinary. I'm gonna be excellence." 'Cause that's the only way. The minute you change your mindset is the minute you start to tap into that unfiltered, raw, truth, strength, boldness that we all carry.

    7. MR

      Okay. My-

    8. SF

      [laughs]

    9. MR

      ... hair is already standing on end. And as you're listening to Shelly-Ann, and she, you're speaking with-

    10. SF

      Mm-hmm

    11. MR

      ... such a level of intention. Like, you believe this.

    12. SF

      Yeah, I do.

    13. MR

      And-

    14. SF

      You have to

    15. MR

      ... you have to. But I can tell that shit's about to go down in this conversation.

    16. SF

      [laughs]

    17. MR

      The energy is crackly. And I wanna start by asking this question about the outside versus the inside.

    18. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    19. MR

      Because people see all the medals, all the records. We not only see the confidence, you can feel it in your body in the way that you speak, but what's the part of your story that we do not see?

    20. SF

      The part of the story no one sees is the BTS, the behind the scenes, the challenges. Sometimes it's the fear, the doubts. It's the things that we tell ourselves in the moments that will eventually stifle us. And I think, for me, I've had to overcome those moments. I've had to really sit in those moments and say to myself, "Well, this is not the end. This is not it. I have more to give." And I had to talk to myself. I had to sacrifice. Because I think growing up in Waterhouse, dreaming is a luxury. Because we don't get to dream often when we're in an environment that seems stifling. It seems, you know, just there's no way out, so dreaming becomes a luxury. So now you're in this moment where you're saying, okay then, you're chasing medals, you're chasing records, you're chasing growth, you're chasing excellence, but the behind the scenes that people are not seeing is the struggle that sometimes you have with your mind, because we all have that. People think that the champion mindset is just winning. It's not just winning. It's sticking to your purpose.

    21. MR

      Mm.

    22. SF

      It's really trusting the promise that you have already made to yourself and go for it. So it's the moments I have to wake up at 5:00 AM to get to practice. It's the moment I have to sacrifice not going out because I'm chasing something big. I'm chasing impact. I'm chasing that young girl who was in Waterhouse who felt like there was no way out. I'm teaching the young girls in my community to understand that excellence does not just belong to me, it belongs to them, and it's important for them to understand those things. So when I sit with myself behind the scene, it's the motivation for my husband, it's my son. It's the moment when I feel, okay, then the doubts are coming in, and I, I have to really say to myself, "Come on, you can do it. Get out of it. Get out of it. One foot in front of the other. Keep going." It's the injuries that we have to overcome as athletes and as individuals, because I think a lot of persons don't know that injuries don't just happen to athletes, it happens to everyday individuals. Now, you have to channel that intention in your mind to say, "I can overcome. I've been there." It's the, the limitation that we tell ourself when people say to ourself, say to us, "Oh, you're too old," or, "You're too young," or, you know, "You've had enough. No more." It's those things that you're battling with behind the scenes, so when someone see you step into the line, you have already conquered so many things behind the scenes. So when we step to the line to compete for a presentation, when we step to the line for, you know, a big job or a presentation or whatever it is, understand that the persons who are standing there would have had to overcome so many things to get there.

    23. MR

      Mm. Okay, you just said so many things-

    24. SF

      [laughs]

    25. MR

      ... that are wise and tactical, so I wanna stop and hover here for a second.

    26. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    27. MR

      Dreaming is a luxury.

    28. SF

      Yeah.

    29. MR

      What would you say to the person right now who's listening, who says, "I feel like I can't even dream right now, that I can't imagine something that's possible"? You talked about how you really want to be an example to the young girls that have big dreams, that have a sense of purpose, but maybe the world is telling them, "Oh, well, that's impossible."

    30. SF

      Mm-hmm.

  3. 9:21 – 10:49

    How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential

    1. SF

      on or what dreams you're trying to chase, or where you're coming from, or where you're heading. You have to start paying attention and listening to your own voice. That's the only voice that's important, your voice, because your voice is the most important voice in the room. That's the relationship you wanna focus on, the relationship with your voice. The minute you change that relationship, you start to understand that, okay, this is what Shelly wants. This is what, you know, Mel wants, and this is what you're going to chase. Stop focusing on the, the voices that are external. Those are just white noise. They're not important, right? Because they don't understand what it is to be in the moment chasing something that's great, chasing something that you want, that you have committed to, that you have decided to. A champion mindset doesn't mean that you're not gonna fail. Failure is a part of success, right? So you have to count on yourself, channel the energy in the voice that is your own, and focus on that voice. Whenever you step into a room, it's your voice that is important.

    2. MR

      I've heard you say that, especially in reflecting about your career. Can you unpack the power of that statement, "A lot can change in a year"?

    3. SF

      One year of being intentional got

  4. 10:49 – 22:52

    How to Transform Your Life In One Year

    1. SF

      me an Olympic gold medal, just one year.

    2. MR

      Just one year.

    3. SF

      Just one year, because what you did in that year is you changed your outlook. You changed your approach. So a lot can happen in a year. I've seen athletes like myself go from being nobody to an extraordinary athlete. In 2007, I was at the World Championship in Osaka as a reserve.

    4. MR

      What does that mean?

    5. SF

      A reserve mean I came sixth. I would be called upon if somebody got hurt or somebody didn't wanna run. That's the only time they would call on me. I wasn't the number one, the number two, the number three, or the number four. I was number sixth. It means there are four persons that run on a relay. I was sixth. So the chances of me running in that relay were slim. A year after being in Osaka, the next year, I was Olympic champion. So it's not e- it's not just for me, where one year I went from- Being sixth to being first, it belongs to you as well.

    6. MR

      Hmm.

    7. SF

      So if you change your mindset, your outlook, and you say to yourself, "Okay, you have to recognize the power of consistency," 'cause I think that's what changed the approach for me. I became consistent at the small things. I said, "Okay, I'm going back to training. I'm gonna make sure that I show up at 5:00 AM because practice is at 5:00 AM." I wasn't there at 5:30. I was there in the cold-

    8. MR

      Hmm

    9. SF

      ... because I refuse, I refuse to lose. And you have to... That's the mindset. You have to refuse to lose. Somebody will need to drag you off the field. And I'm not just talking about the track, I'm talking in life. Somebody has to pull you out. They have to call the announcer to say, "Oh, take her out," but until then, you're staying in. So I've seen athletes t- take one year, and be- that year they became, they were humbled in a year because they didn't put the work in. They changed their approach. So when I say a lot can happen in a year, it's the mindset that you become consistent at what you do, and you work towards it. Because you now have a one whole year to decide what you're doing, decide how you show up each morning. Put one foot in front of each other, and then you go, and you keep going, and you're going. Because for me, there is time. A lot of person say, "Oh, you have all the time in the world," and you think one year, for the person who is chasing mediocrity, one year is small. For the person who is chasing greatness, one year is a lot. You have a lot of time. And if you have that time, you make it count.

    10. MR

      So I wanna put you in that moment in 2007, because even though most of us will never be a reserve on a team like that-

    11. SF

      [laughs]

    12. MR

      Right? We're gonna be in the stands watching you. There is an experience that I think we all have in life, where you find yourself in a situation where you are really close to the thing that you want, but you're kind of on the outside of it. And I'll share a quick story. I have... M- my daughter is a singer-songwriter, and she was invited to a, like, a record release-

    13. SF

      Mm-hmm

    14. MR

      ... kind of performance by an artist she really loves. And she walked into the room, and it was incredible, but when she left, she had this feeling of saying, "I want to be doing that. I want to be known in a room like that." And those moments where you get close to the thing that you want, you're number six, you wanna be number one, right?

    15. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    16. MR

      I think those moments really define you, because you either collapse and say, "It's never gonna be me"-

    17. SF

      Or you rise.

    18. MR

      Yes. Or you rise and say, "It is painful to want something and not work for it, and it's painful to work for it and not get it. But I'm gonna go for it." And so what changed for you, as you were number six, and I take it nobody got injured.

    19. SF

      [laughs] Nobody got-

    20. MR

      And so you stayed at number six.

    21. SF

      I actually ran.

    22. MR

      You did?

    23. SF

      I did. I was... So let me tell you this.

    24. MR

      A story, so-

    25. SF

      Sorry, Mel.

    26. MR

      Okay.

    27. SF

      I have to tell you this story.

    28. MR

      [laughs]

    29. SF

      So in 2007, when I went to Osaka and I made the relay squad for Team Jamaica, my real intention of going to Osaka was just to be there, small-minded. At that time, my thinking was very small. My dreams were small. My confidence, small. So I get there, and they're, you know, having all this fit about who runs or who doesn't run.

    30. MR

      Yeah, yeah.

  5. 22:52 – 28:24

    How to Believe in Yourself When Your Dream Feels Impossible

    1. MR

      dream is too big, or it's too impossible for them now?

    2. SF

      I think what I'll say to you guys listening is time will honor your greatness. Time, that's all you need, time. For a lot of persons, they look at the clock, and they think, "I don't have enough time." But for the persons who is chasing excellence and chasing growth, it's never too late when you look at the clock. It's never too late. I became the oldest world champion at 35 years old. When person said, "Oh, she's too old. She needs to wrap it up," I became a mom, and I won a world championship two years after having my son. Time will honor your greatness. I won my first gold medal in 2008 when persons thought I was too young, or I was too ex- inexperienced, and I needed to give my spot to somebody else. So when I say all of that, I say time. You have time. You have to show up. Disregard the negative things that you have said in your darkest moments to yourself. You need to get that out. Stop listening to the people who have never been in your shoe. You have to start listening to your voice and decide which voice is more important, theirs or yours, and it has to be yours. Your voice is the most important voice in any room. So you have to understand that whatever it is that you're chasing, time will honor your greatness. It's never too late. In fact, you still have so much more that is inside, untapped, that's ready to go out, but you are listening to the persons who are at the ceiling of their imagination, not yours.

    3. MR

      I'm dead.

    4. SF

      Yeah.

    5. MR

      Like, I'm literally like, "Okay, we're done here."

    6. SF

      [laughs]

    7. MR

      Like, I can't even believe you.

    8. SF

      Mel is... [laughs]

    9. MR

      Amazing, you are. You're, like, channeling something.

    10. SF

      No, it's true.

    11. MR

      You are. There is, there is, like, a transmission coming through you.

    12. SF

      Yeah. It's the truth.

    13. MR

      It's true.

    14. SF

      I've lived it.

    15. MR

      I can tell.

    16. SF

      Yeah.

    17. MR

      I can tell in the way that you are speaking-

    18. SF

      Yeah

    19. MR

      ... straight from the heart, and with almost, like, that, "If you're not gonna listen to yourself, you better listen to me."

    20. SF

      Yeah. You better.

    21. MR

      Like, borrow Shelly's belief in you until you believe in you.

    22. SF

      That's true. You know what's important also is the only dream that hasn't been met is the one that you haven't started.

    23. MR

      Say that again.

    24. SF

      [laughs]

    25. MR

      The only dr-

    26. SF

      I said the only dream that hasn't been met is the one you haven't started. So once you have a dream, start it. You have all the time in the world. Start it. Don't go to bed thinking, "All right. I'm tired. It's not gonna happen." Go to bed thinking, "It's gonna happen. No one can stop me. I'm gonna wake up in the morning. I'm gonna..." All those thoughts, because we've all been there. In the d- in our darkest moments, we have told ourselves things that are not true. In our darkest moments, we have listened to people who have said things about us, who have no idea who you are. Like, how do you allow people who don't know who you are, who don't know your gifts, your talents, who don't know what you're chasing and won- what untapped abilities you have, how can you allow them to determine your future? You can't, right? The only finish line that you have never crossed is the one you never walked up to. So whatever finish line it is or anything that you're chasing, walk up to it.

    27. MR

      You know, it's interesting, the, the finish line metaphor, because that's how you know the race you're running isn't over.

    28. SF

      You know, yeah.

    29. MR

      You haven't crossed the finish line yet-

    30. SF

      You haven't crossed the finish line-

  6. 28:24 – 34:25

    Visualization for Success: How Olympic Athletes Train Their Minds to Win

    1. MR

      to their life?

    2. SF

      So, Mel, I give you, on a Friday-

    3. MR

      Yes

    4. SF

      ... when we train, we actually train our minds on a Friday. It's our, we call it mental training. Because before you can achieve anything, you have to see it in your mind first. You have to feel it, and visualization is you putting yourself in a winning position before you have all, before you have won.

    5. MR

      Mm.

    6. SF

      That's what visualization is. Visualization is you seeing yourself doing it, not perfectly, but powerfully. That's what visualization is. So when I use visualization-

    7. MR

      Yeah

    8. SF

      ... it's important for me to even smell the, the atmosphere.

    9. MR

      Okay.

    10. SF

      To feel it, because sometimes our mind can't distinguish between what reality is [laughs] and what's real. We can't, right? We can't figure out what's real or what's fake when it comes to our mind, because our mind is that powerful. So it is up to you to train your mind to see the things that you want to achieve. So when I get to the line, I have run that race many times before I get to that line, and I'm not talking about the day before the race. I'm talking months before the race. Every time I have an alone time, I'm visualizing. I get to the line.

    11. MR

      Mm.

    12. SF

      I hear the starter. I listen to the cues.

    13. MR

      You hear the ch-ch-ch-ch of, like, all the people-

    14. SF

      I'm hear-

    15. MR

      ... putting their, their feet in the blocks, and the-

    16. SF

      I g- I'm, I'm gonna tell you this.

    17. MR

      Yes.

    18. SF

      When I'm at the line, I hear nobody.

    19. MR

      Ooh.

    20. SF

      Nobody, because I'm not listening to them. The only person I'm listening for is the instruction of the starter.

    21. MR

      Mm.

    22. SF

      When the starter says, "On your mark," on your mark is something that I've already visualized, so my body knows when the starter says, "On your mark," it's go time. My body knows when I get to the line, I've already seen myself in the block. I see myself crossing the line. I see myself, with each step that I take, I feel it because I've already seen it. So you have to use visualization as a, a, a, as a map. It's one of those, you know, maps that you have in your, in your mind. Now, okay-

    23. MR

      Mm

    24. SF

      ... I'm going to point B, so in order to get to point B, I have to make sure that I'm successful at A, at A, right? So you're seeing it. You're going to that presentation. You want to feel it. You wanna see it. Visualization exists long before the vision board, long before it. It's a small step. Visualization is something that you don't have to pay for. You don't need money for it. You don't need no paper. You don't need no pen. You need nothing. You just need to sit with yourself and see it, that presentation, that hard conversation, that relationship that you probably need to end, that friendship that you need to walk away from and you don't know how to do it. Do it in your mind first. It becomes easier after.

    25. MR

      I wanna make sure you really heard what she said, that Fridays is not running day.

    26. SF

      It's not running day.

    27. MR

      Friday, we are training a different muscle-

    28. SF

      Training minds

    29. MR

      ... as a world champion. You're training your mind. And what I also love that you pointed out is this is free.

    30. SF

      It's free. Yeah.

  7. 34:25 – 38:19

    How to Finally Stop Comparing Yourself to Others

    1. SF

      I'm focusing on the, the crowd. What's the crowd gonna do? They can't help me. What's the next person? They also want to win. So I'm not helping you win, I'm helping me win.

    2. MR

      Ooh, I love that. When you focus on them, you're helping them win.

    3. SF

      You're helping them win. I don't want them to win.

    4. MR

      Hold on a second. Can we, can we unpack that for a minute? Because so many of us are focused on what everybody else is doing, and when you do that, you're helping them win.

    5. SF

      You are helping them win. You're not helping yourself win. Because I'm telling you, they are probably focused on you, and you're giving your power to them. Like, I'm giving you no power. When I get to the line, I'm an assassin. I'm there to win, and it means mentally I'm there to win as well. So when I get to the line, I'm not concerned who is in lane five or six or seven or eight or one or two. The reality is I, which is the I, in that moment, the I become selfish. It's about you and how you show up to win. If I'm there carrying somebody else's baggage, how am I getting to the plane? The plane is gonna leave you. So yeah, don't focus on who is to the left or to the right because you're not going to the left and you're not going to the right. You're going forward, forward, 'cause that's the only way you win. I've never seen anybody win going backwards. I've never seen it. If it happens, let me know, but I've never seen it.

    6. MR

      How do you use somebody that is ahead of you to help you become a better competitor or a better mom or a better this? Because I do think that there are those times, and this kinda goes back to when you were number six-

    7. SF

      Mm-hmm

    8. MR

      ... and then you got asked to be part of the team, and then you had the realization that, "Wait, I wanna win or lose from me."

    9. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    10. MR

      "I wanna stand on my own here." If I'm not paying attention to this person, I'm not paying attention to that person, but I keep seeing somebody else out in the world doing something in a way that kinda makes me jealous, kinda pisses me off And also kind of inspires me. How do you use somebody else's example in the right way-

    11. SF

      Mm

    12. MR

      ... to activate your own ability to perform potentially past them? You know what I'm saying?

    13. SF

      I understand exactly what you're saying, and that's good because guess what? Every single person there is in this lifetime have learned something from somebody, whether tho- they're a winner or they're not. The champion uses every experience to gain an advantage.

    14. MR

      Mm.

    15. SF

      That's just the reality. In Jamaica, there's a saying that when somebody feeds you meat or chicken, you eat the meat, you leave the bone. It's not, the bone is not gonna help you. The meat is where the substance is. So if that person that's in front of you that you think, "I want to emulate that person. There's something that she has that I want," take the meat, leave the bone. Whatever it is that she has that benefits you and you think you can use it, use it. For a lot of us, we are in a sh- we are in a shell where there's somebody that we're either jealous of or somebody that, you know, some people will say, "Well, I hate this person." But guess what? That person that you're jealous of or probably the person that you hate, there's something that they have that you want. So instead of hating for no reason, take the things that they have that are gonna help you to get to your destiny sooner than later.

    16. MR

      Mm. So your friend, Usain Bolt-

    17. SF

      [laughs]

    18. MR

      ... said that when he looks at your career and the fact that you have been so great for so long,

  8. 38:19 – 41:42

    Motivation vs. Discipline: What Really Creates Long-Term Success?

    1. MR

      that you make him feel like an underachiever. What can the person listening learn from you about holding yourself to such a high standard, especially on those days when you don't feel like it?

    2. SF

      Here's what I'll say. Motivation can change, standards don't.

    3. MR

      Oh, motivation can change.

    4. SF

      But standards don't, 'cause standard is what, is who you are, it's what you have. 'Cause sometimes your motivation will change. You know, what motivates you today may not be the thing that motivates you tomorrow, but your standards are who you are. It's, it's everything. It's, you know, who I am is not determined by how I feel on any given day.

    5. MR

      Mm.

    6. SF

      Right? So for me, that's your standard. You have to make sure that you hold your standards on days when it's hard because you know you're building something unbreakable.

    7. MR

      Mm.

    8. SF

      That w- that's what your standard... And Usain, if Usain says that, you know it's gonna... Usain is great in his own way, right? But for me, personally, it's my standards that gives me longevity. It's the, the things that I hold dear to, to me, the things that I'm chasing and I want to achieve, and I know I have it, right? So I understand that on a daily basis, your motivation can change, because some of us are motivated by probably somebody who wronged us.

    9. MR

      Mm.

    10. SF

      And what if you move that person out of the way? What motivates you then? You can't have your motivation be tied to a person, because that person, for whatever it were, can leave. They can change. They go somewhere else. So you have to have your standards. Some days I go to training, I don't wanna train. There's no motivation, but you know what I have? Standards, high standards. So every time I get to training, I remember the standards that I have. My standards are excellence.

    11. MR

      Mm.

    12. SF

      I want excellence. How does one achieve excellence? Consistency. Show up in spite of. How does one have standards? They move from a place of fear to boldness. Discipline is a resident, right? It, it res- No, it's not, it's there. It resides there. That's what discipline is. That's the standard. Motivation-

    13. MR

      Mm

    14. SF

      ... comes and goes.

    15. MR

      It sure does.

    16. SF

      Comes and goes.

    17. MR

      You know, I'm wondering, 'cause I, it's so inspiring to listen to you, and there's such a rhythm and truth to everything that you're sharing, and it's easy, especially, and even if you're in a place where you're just feeling a little beaten down and stuck.

    18. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    19. MR

      And as I'm listening, I'm like, "Yes, standards. Yes, excellence. Yes, I'm with you."

    20. SF

      Oh, that is-

    21. MR

      And then I go-

    22. SF

      It's true. But what are your standard?

    23. MR

      "... wait a minute. What are my standards? What, what, what, what does excellence mean in my life?" And I'd be curious, if somebody is feeling really knocked

  9. 41:42 – 45:18

    How to Set Higher Standards and Build Better Habits

    1. MR

      down, and I have a lot of friends that I've heard them say over the years, "I don't even know who I am anymore," do you have any recommendation for how you could set a standard for yourself today that will pull you toward excellence? Like, is there something that if you had to recommend, okay, if you don't know what your standards are, if you feel like life has kicked you down, one way to develop standards for yourself. 'Cause if you don't stand for something, you stand for nothing.

    2. SF

      Nothing at all.

    3. MR

      But is there something that you could give the person that's listening, like, "This is where I would start if I were starting over and thinking about my own standards"?

    4. SF

      Yeah, I would say small steps. Small steps. It doesn't have to be big. You have to, everybody has to start with small, intentional steps. The smaller steps you make- The more you can go to the bigger steps eventually because you're not rushing into it, because for a lot of us, finding our standards take time because we have, can tell you this, we have history where because we have done things a particular way for years, trying to erode those things takes time, right? It takes time to get rid of the bad habits. So I would say start with the small things. If it is getting up early in the morning and making your bed, then that's the standard. I'm gonna get up in the morning, I'm gonna make my bed, I'm gonna have some coffee, I'm gonna visualize for 20 minutes, and that's how you start with your standards, right? You write that down. And then who knows, a week from that, you add something else to it, and that becomes a routine. And when you have your routine, you're build, your routine becomes consistent, so you're consistent with your routines, and you're consistent with your standard. So small steps. Doesn't have to be big, it has to be yours. Can't be anybody else's. It has to be yours. So I don't want my standards for you. Sure, you can use, you can use me, uh-

    5. MR

      I'm gonna eat the meat but not the bone. See, I'm listening. [laughs]

    6. SF

      You're eating the meat, but you're not, you're leaving the bone. And you apply that to your life, and you say, "Okay, these are my stan-" And I can say this: Your standards are yours. You can't let or allow anyone else to make you think that something is wrong with yours. There's nothing wrong, because guess what? Yours work for you. Mine works for me. But it's intentional steps that you take daily, and you start small. Doesn't have to be that big, grand, "Okay, I'm gonna get up..." It's almost like the New Year resolution. I'm not a big fan of New Year resolution, [laughs] right? I've been honest, because I think sometimes I make those because everybody else is making them, and it doesn't work for me because by the time the 2nd of January come, I remember nothing. So you have to make or tailor your standards to you, to your day to day, to what you can start with, and then you move from there.

    7. MR

      You know, one of the things that I think we've all seen, and some of us have experienced, is how easy it is to let your failures-

    8. SF

      Mm

    9. MR

      ... block you, whether it's a failed relationship or a failed dream that you tried, or maybe you failed at the career or job that you really went for. What has losing

  10. 45:18 – 53:30

    How to Make a Comeback After Failure or Setbacks

    1. MR

      and failure taught you that winning never could?

    2. SF

      Mel, in my years of competing, I like to consider myself an expert at track, and I am expert at losing 'cause I lost a lot. But failure introduces us to a part of ourselves that we didn't know was there.

    3. MR

      Hmm.

    4. SF

      The part that we need to grow, the part that we need to approach different. Failure introduces us to things that winning couldn't show us. Because when you win, you think you have it all figured out. You think, "All right, I won. I don't need to change anything. I'm good." But failure can introduce you to a part that you realize that, okay then, my success didn't show me that, but my failure taught me that, hey girl, we need to work at this a little bit more.

    5. MR

      Hmm.

    6. SF

      There's another approach. We can try another way. Can't go through this gate and we'll end up at the same place. That's what failure does. It, for me, some of my greatest wins came after a loss.

    7. MR

      Really?

    8. SF

      Yes. Some of my greatest win came after a loss. Remember, I came sixth at the world championship, um, ch- tr- national championship at my, s- at, at, at, in Jamaica, and I went back home, and I worked hard, and I c- I came back. In 2016, 2016, I had a sesamoiditis at my gr-

    9. MR

      You had a who?

    10. SF

      A sesam-

    11. MR

      What is that?

    12. SF

      So there are two small bones. [laughs] I'm not a doctor.

    13. MR

      That sounds, that sounds terrible. Sesamoiditis? What is that? Like, [laughs] it's just-

    14. SF

      Right? I had... There's two small bones under your great toe that's responsible for-

    15. MR

      Under your toe?

    16. SF

      Under your big toe or your great toe, that's responsible for balance.

    17. MR

      Oh, no.

    18. SF

      Right?

    19. MR

      What happened?

    20. SF

      So that's where when you're in the blocks or you're running, that becomes the planting that's responsible for the power that you generate.

    21. MR

      That's a very important little bone.

    22. SF

      A very important little bone. [laughs] And I fractured it.

    23. MR

      [gasps]

    24. SF

      And I couldn't put my foot in my spike.

    25. MR

      What?

    26. SF

      Like, we, I was in tears. This is 2016 Olympic games. I was chasing becoming the first woman to win three Olympic games back to back. No. N- I did not know who I was in that moment because it was so hard because at that point, I have, I won 2008, 2009, 2012, 2013, 2015, and here my face with 2016, and I'm saying to myself, "How do I navigate this space?" I didn't know how. I couldn't put my foot in my shoe. I couldn't do anything in practice. I was out of practice for a while. But you know what I did? I found another way. I, I said, "Okay then. It's not gonna work the normal way that I did it [laughs] , but I'll find another way." And I had know how to train my mind more in that moment, and I got to that- 2016 World, um, Olympic Games in Rio, I came third. I, I came third, so I didn't become the first woman to win an Olympic, three Olympic medals back to back.

    27. MR

      Well, you won one.

    28. SF

      And I-

    29. MR

      Are you talking gold?

    30. SF

      Yeah, but gold.

  11. 53:30 – 1:00:15

    Motherhood and Career: How to Pursue Your Dreams Without Giving Up Either

    1. SF

      2017, I was so, I was scared. I was nervous, and here's why I was scared and I was nervous, because here comes those little critics that think they know everything, that comes and they tell you, "Oh, having a baby will just ruin your career. Oh, having a baby's not good for a woman in the sport right now. Oh, having a baby and you're just gonna be turning 30, I think you should pack it up." But having my son deepened my purpose, right? My son changed my outlook because I understood in that moment that my son didn't need me to sacrifice my career. He didn't need me to do that. Instead, he needs to see me chasing my dreams so he knows he has the permission to chase his.

    2. MR

      Mm.

    3. SF

      So when I got to the world championship in 2019, I was a mom of a beautiful two-year-old boy.

    4. MR

      Can you put into context for the person who's listening, who may not really know the world of elite track and field, just, like, how many other global champions Have dominated globally after having a baby. How many women?

    5. SF

      Probably two.

    6. MR

      And you're one of them.

    7. SF

      And I'm one of them. Probably two or three. Not a lot.

    8. MR

      So it is typically the norm that once you become a mom, your track and field career, at least sprinting at this world-renowned level, it's basically-

    9. SF

      Yeah

    10. MR

      ... hang the shoes up.

    11. SF

      It becomes, it becomes difficult. And so when I ... It was important for me to continue because I knew that the impact that this would have and just what it would mean for the sport in general was incredible. D- but not just for the sport, but for me. Because this is me now understanding that as women, we have to learn to evolve, and there's always a conversation about our age. There's always a conversation about us having kids. It's there's always a conversation, "She, she's too old. She's a mom," or, "She needs..." There's always a conversation, but your conversation is not my reality. So when I went to the 2019 World Championship, I was ready because I knew the world was depending on me showing them that motherhood didn't diminish me as an athlete or as a woman, but instead it elevated me.

    12. MR

      Mm.

    13. SF

      Because now I stood at the line, and I knew I was championing a cause for that woman who was probably beside me who wants to have a child but she's afraid because of what it means for her career. And we've all been there, where we've been told, "Hey, you can't have a kid because of your career. You're gonna sacrifice." And I got to that line, and I remember running. I ran 10.7, I think it was 10.75, and I screamed. I, I was out of it, right? I, there was, I did a fist, like I was strong. I remember going for my son, who was in the stands, and I brought him on the track, and we were celebrating that moment together because I want my son to look back at those videos-

    14. MR

      Mm

    15. SF

      ... and understand that I, in that moment, I chose him.

    16. MR

      Mm.

    17. SF

      Right? I'm walking alongside him. He didn't stop me from chasing my dreams. He helped me to, to achieve that dream and to, you know, to, to, to get in that moment and to understand our greatest comebacks are usually born from what people consider failures. Because many persons thought I would just quit and go be a mom, but why can't I be both? Why can't I be a mom and be a sprinter, and an excellent sprinter? There's noth- I think as women, we have to learn to be selfish. There's nothing wrong with wanting two, two things. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a mom and wanting to have the success of being an athlete, and that's why that medal is so important to me, because I chose myself and I chose my son. And we're gonna figure it out. Because balance is harmony, and we exist in the same space.

    18. MR

      Well, I love that you said that the outside world has a lot to say about especially women.

    19. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    20. MR

      And what your place is and when you're relevant, when you're not, what you can do, what you can't do, and also this messaging that if you choose to be two things or three things at the same time, that somehow it means you're gonna be lousy at all of them.

    21. SF

      I know. And why is that?

    22. MR

      I honestly don't know. Because as you're really eloquently reminding us, you get to decide.

    23. SF

      I get to decide.

    24. MR

      You get to decide what it means to choose being a mom and being a sprinter at a world-renowned level. You get to decide that it is the most powerful example that you can provide to your son of what it looks like to go after something.

    25. SF

      Yeah.

    26. MR

      And that by deciding for yourself, not listening to the outside world, not looking around at the person here or the person over there-

    27. SF

      Correct

    28. MR

      ... but right in here.

    29. SF

      Right here.

    30. MR

      What is it that I want? What are my standards? You change the game you're playing.

  12. 1:00:15 – 1:08:43

    Why You Are Never Too Old to Achieve Your Dreams

    1. SF

      do most sprinters-

    2. MR

      In the track, in the track world as a woman, people think 28 is old.

    3. SF

      Really?

    4. MR

      Yes.

    5. SF

      So you're like a grandma out there basically running.

    6. MR

      I am a grandma at a sport. [laughs]

    7. SF

      Okay. So, so 35 is, like-

    8. MR

      35

    9. SF

      ... you're old. You should be retired kind of situation.

    10. MR

      You should have ... And usually a lot of female athletes at that age did retire. Okay.

    11. SF

      A lot of them did because for them, they feel like they had to ask, for some, not all.

    12. MR

      Yep.

    13. SF

      For some, they felt like they needed to ask people permission to chase their dreams. They felt like they needed somebody else's opinion on when it is that they should tap out.

    14. MR

      Mm.

    15. SF

      I needed nobody's permission but my own. As I said in the, in, before, I said, "Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world." There is absolutely no fear in love because perfect love cast out fear. I love what I do. I don't fear it, I love it. There's a sense of boldness when I step to the line and when I'm chasing something because here's what's gonna happen. It's mine. I'm not taking anybody's spot, and if you want it, you have to come for it.

    16. MR

      If you, I, this is important here. If you want it, you have to come for it.

    17. SF

      Yeah.

    18. MR

      I would love to have you put us at the line. You're 35.

    19. SF

      Yeah, I'm 35. There are a lot of 20-year-olds in the line.

    20. MR

      Well, you're not looking left or right is what I understand.

    21. SF

      I'm not left. Listen, I'm not looking left or right, and I get my age is irrelevant at the line.

    22. MR

      Your age is irrelevant.

    23. SF

      Your age is irrelevant at the line. Your age is irrelevant in success. Irrelevant. Nobody when you get to the line to win is thinking about your age. Nobody's thinking about your age.

    24. MR

      Except for the commentators. They're like-

    25. SF

      Ex-

    26. MR

      "Okay, so there's Shelly-Ann"

    27. SF

      The 35-year-old Shelly-Ann.

    28. MR

      "She's a 35-year-old. No man-"

    29. SF

      I mean, and I-

    30. MR

      "... no one has ever won a title at this age."

  13. 1:08:43 – 1:20:11

    How to Stop Being Average and Reach Your Full Potential

    1. MR

      I'm gonna decide. I'm, I'm gonna decide. I'm gonna launch that business. I'm gonna find love after divorce. I'm gonna go back to school in my 50s. Um, I'm gonna go to college, but nobody in my family's gone to college." And then that doubt starts to creep in, and you start saying to yourself, "I can't do that. No one's ever accomplished that." Almost like you become the commentator-

    2. SF

      Mm-hmm

    3. MR

      ... doubting yourself.

    4. SF

      Stop entertaining the voices in your head that tell you to s- play small. You have to stop entertaining those voices, the voices that say, "Oh, girl, it's too big for you. Girl, no, it's not worth it. Uh, leave that one alone. We can go for the next one." And they tell you the next one. So you have to stop entertaining the voices in your head-

    5. MR

      Mm

    6. SF

      ... that tell you to s- play small, and also stop negotiating your mornings.

    7. MR

      What do you mean?

    8. SF

      So when you get up in the morning, you decide, "All right, I'm going to attack the goal," you start nego- "Or maybe I'll do it next year, or maybe I'll do it next week, or can I just put it off today and do it tomorrow?" No. Stop negotiating. Just do it, literally. Get up, decide, and commit. You have to commit. So that voice in your head that's telling you, "Oh, girl, this is too big. I can't do it," everything changes downstream when things upstream are done right. Say it again, everything changes downstream when upstream is done right. So up here, your mind, when you start thinking and stop negotiating and stop listening to that s- small voice that tells you, "Okay, you can't do it, it's too big, it's impossible," it converts.

    9. MR

      Yes.

    10. SF

      But when you start telling yourself, "This is mine. I'm ready. I'm gifted, I'm, I, I have purpose. It's gonna work out. I'm strong. I'm powerful," it trickles down.

    11. MR

      Mm.

    12. SF

      And everywhere in your body starts to respond to what you're telling yourself in your mind. So you have to start saying to yourself, "I can. I will. I must. This is mine. I'm ready. I'm fit. I'm focused. This will all work out. This is just a small hiccup. I have this." You got this. That's how you need to start negotiating in the mornings.

    13. MR

      You know, one of the things about you that you've really had to deal with in your career is pressure-

    14. SF

      Mm-hmm

    15. MR

      ... and managing pressure and showing up under pressure and not allowing the pressure to break you. And right now, um, I know that the person listening probably feels a lot of pressure. You know, when we asked listeners in 194 countries basically how they're feeling right now, what they're struggling with, what their goals are, the number one word that we heard was-

    16. SF

      Pressure

    17. MR

      ... actually exhausted.

    18. SF

      Mm.

    19. MR

      And exhaustion comes because you feel a lot of pressure. You know what I'm saying?

    20. SF

      Mm-hmm.

    21. MR

      And so if the person's dealing with pressure at work or pressure in their relationship or pressure financially, what, how do you handle pressure in your life?

    22. SF

      Pressure is a privilege. It means you're made for more. It means that someone believes in you. Somebody thinks that you have more to give, that including yourself, so pressure is a privilege. I'll, I l- leave a Jamaican saying where it says, "Nobody stones green mangoes."

    23. MR

      Nobody stole green ma-

    24. SF

      Nobody stones green man-

    25. MR

      Stones green mangoes

    26. SF

      So nobody hits the-

    27. MR

      'Cause they're not ripe

    28. SF

      They're not ripe.

    29. MR

      Yes. [laughs]

    30. SF

      Exactly, so look at it that way. Because you feel that pressure, it means that you have a gift. You have something that's waiting to come out-

  14. 1:20:11 – 1:24:42

    How to Create an Extraordinary Life

    1. SF

      because you're still seeking. You still want something, so you have to decide and commit to your greatest life yet. You have to decide. You can listen to everything, you can write down everything, and you can have the vision board, and you can have the book that you write in your goals, but until you make that decision to start or to do something different, you're wasting time. You're wasting time. You have to decide. Like, there's just no two way about it. There are a lot of persons who are sitting at home, and they have written down that business plan, and, "I'm gonna start this business. I'm gonna do this. I'm gonna, you know, end this friendship or this relationship that's not going anywhere. It's eating me up." And they have yet to make the decision, or fully. A lot of them make half decision. "Ah, I'm gonna do it tomorrow. I'm gonna do it next year." Decide now. Commit now.

    2. MR

      Shelly-Ann, what are your parting words?

    3. SF

      [laughs] My parting words would have to be, you and I, we're not built for average. We're built for extraordinary, extraordinary things. I've said earlier, you have to be and become extraordinary, extraordinary now and extraordinary to come. So all those things that you have told yourself, the unhealthy things that you have told yourself before, get rid of it. We're not made to play small. You have to expand your mind, expand, you know, your, your territory. You have to see yourself being big, not average, not small, but big, somebody who have more, a lot more untapped potential that's waiting to expand. And I, and not only me, but you have to give yourself permission. You have to give yourself permission to chase the dream. You have to give yourself permission to understand that you carry excellence. You carry, we all carry, 'cause we are created with it. We have purpose. We have plans. We have all of it, and you have to mold those things together and create a life that ex- that is extraordinary.

    4. MR

      Shelly-Ann, you are extraordinary.

    5. SF

      Thank you. [laughs]

    6. MR

      You literally blew me away, and there's something about being in your presence that I just wanna sprint out of here.

    7. SF

      [laughs]

    8. MR

      I don't even really know where I'm going right now, but I just feel like I... Okay, let's run a race.

    9. SF

      Let's, let's go.

    10. MR

      Let's win. Let's win.

    11. SF

      Let's win.

    12. MR

      Now, thank you.

    13. SF

      No, thank you.

    14. MR

      Thank you, thank you for being you, for taking the time to come here and to pour into me and to the person-

    15. SF

      Thank you. I appreciate it

    16. MR

      ... that is listening. I know this conversation is going to ripple around the world and is going to be shared in family group chats and among friends, and coaches are gonna send it to teams. You are such a gift.

    17. SF

      Thank you. I appreciate that, Mel. This was great.

    18. MR

      Thank you. Well, you're great.

    19. SF

      Thank you.

    20. MR

      And I also wanna thank you. As you heard Shelly-Ann say to you, you are not average. You are extraordinary. And everything that she poured into you, you can feel it in your bones. Even those two little bones in your big toe you could feel it, that she believes in you. She believes you're extraordinary, but you gotta decide. You got the tools and the encouragement and the roadmap today. For crying out loud, decide to do something with it. Step up to the line and run that race. And in case no one else tells you today, as your friend, I am going to tell you that I love you, and I believe in you, and I believe in your ability to create a better life, and just follow everything you just heard, and you will build an extraordinary one. All right, I'll see you in the very next episode. I'll welcome you in the moment you hit play. And thank you for watching all the way to the end. I love being here with you on YouTube, and I know you're thinking, "Okay, what should I watch next?" You are going to love this video, and I will welcome you in the moment you hit play. [upbeat music]

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