The Only Way To Conquer Fear, Build Your Dream Life & Stop Caring What People Think | Sifan Hassan

1. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee0:00

   You're someone who has taken the running world by storm over the past few years, and you must have experienced that there is a real outpouring of love for you all over the world. Why do you think that is?

2. SHSifan Hassan0:16

   I think because, um, everybody have seen people do just the same things. So for me, when, when I'm running, I kind of mix. I go up and down. Sometimes I run 1500-meter marathon, and people think... They always thought, oh, when athlete move to the marathon, it is harder to back to the track. They have never done, but I'm just very curious. I was like, "Okay, what if I did this? What if I do?" So I think maybe because I ran marathon and go back to track, and then I go run marathon and go back to the track. I, the first times, I think when the people shocked in London Marathon, 2000, um-

3. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee0:52

   23

4. SHSifan Hassan0:53

   ... 23, when I stopped, right? And I won the race. Then I, I did, uh, after two month, I did some track, uh, race, and they was, "Oh, that's possible?" Then I did World Championship after three month, and then I get the silver, um, I think silver 1500 meter or something.

5. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee1:11

   Yeah.

6. SHSifan Hassan1:11

   And then after six week, I did Chicago Marathon, and then I get, I ran the fastest second time ever, and maybe that- that's why people think, uh, it's like, "Is this, uh, something crazy?" [laughs]

7. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee1:25

   Yeah. I think there's a couple of things people really like about you. Certainly speaking from my own experience, you run with a real carefree joy, right? You smile a lot, and it's just a, a beautiful smile from the inside of you-

8. SHSifan Hassan1:41

   Mm-hmm

9. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee1:41

   ... that I think people are not used to seeing when athletes compete. So I think that's one reason, this curiosity, this, uh, this joy. I think also this idea that you constantly move out of your comfort zone. You're not afraid to fail at something. You're not afraid to say, "Yeah, you know what? I know most athletes don't do this, but I'm gonna go from the 5K to the marathon." I think that's also something that people really admire and respect about you. Where do you think that comes from?

10. SHSifan Hassan2:15

    Uh, uh, it could be the experience. Also, I think this could be something also inside, just because I was... I, I come, uh, as a young lady to Netherlands, and that's also just, uh, kind of out of comfort zone. And then I was like, I think around, uh, age 20 something, I have to take step my life for big, big picture. I was thought, uh, 2016, uh, the years of Rio, I get injured before the race. Like, I thought I'm not even gonna go to R- Rio. And after that, I was r- really depressed. I was so angry, and I even hated running. I used to lock the door and not talk to anyone. I thought, "You know, this is not healthy." And, uh, you know, I'm also Muslim, and according to us, like, when something happen to you, you should be grateful. You should say, "Oh, I'm healthy. I have health," this, this. You always look the people down to you. You can't complain too much about life. So I thought, "Oh, it is also against my religion. That's not good." I say to myself, "Okay, I'm gonna stop running." I think I was like, I don't know, I was, like, 24 or something. I decide to go holiday by myself, like, for a month. I go Morocco. I go something, somewhere else. And after that, oh, I wanna run. But when I wanna run, I really wanna change myself. Whether what has happened, I just have fun. I just wanna see. And then I decide to also go to America. Already build a f- friendship in Netherlands. I have good friend. I have already, uh, home, family, everything there, and I decide to, "Oh, I'm gonna go to America." So I talked to everybody, and many people say, actually, "Look, Sifan, you are already in Diamond League, top, number one or number two. Every race, even 800, 1500 meter, 5 kilometer, whatever you race, you are top three. If you go, move from this coach, what if you don't succeed?" So m- I have to decide. I have to think, oh, if this thing doesn't success, I'm gonna have failure. So I look at myself, okay, when I go, like, later, uh, when I'm 55 years, do I go back, look it, and this thing is no good to do-

11. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:24

    Mm

12. SHSifan Hassan4:24

    ... or I should done this? I say... I, I look at this like, okay, what if I don't get success? But still, my brain want to try that, you know?

13. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:32

    Yeah.

14. SHSifan Hassan4:32

    When I don't regret later. I still, it doesn't matter, I did everything. So I, the, the hardest moment when I'm already, you are success, you think, "Oh, this is the way. I'm always number three, number two, sometimes winning." But I just thought, okay, even if I don't win, I will take some step to go to US.

15. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:49

    Yeah. This is so interesting because many people play it safe in life, don't they? They, they get a, let's say, a degree of success.

16. SHSifan Hassan4:58

    Mm-hmm.

17. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee4:58

    I'm not talking about athletics and running now-

18. SHSifan Hassan5:00

    Mm-hmm. [laughs]

19. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee5:00

    ... about anything. They get to a degree of success-

20. SHSifan Hassan5:03

    Yeah

21. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee5:03

    ... and then they stay locked where they are.

22. SHSifan Hassan5:06

    Mm-hmm.

23. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee5:06

    They, they don't wanna push themselves beyond that. What if they lose what they've got?

24. SHSifan Hassan5:10

    Yeah, you get it, Martin.

25. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee5:11

    Yeah. And, and that's the thing I... You know, when I listen to you talk and hear your words, it, it very much comes across that you're someone who, as you said, you don't want regrets. You'd rather take a risk-

26. SHSifan Hassan5:26

    Risk

27. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee5:27

    ... and fail-

28. SHSifan Hassan5:29

    Exactly

29. RCDr. Rangan Chatterjee5:29

    ... than not having-

30. SHSifan Hassan5:30

    Yeah

Episode duration: 1:18:04