You missed the train because you didn’t run

Stop letting your journey pass you by

If you live in London, you have probably tried to run for a train at least once in your life. I like to see myself as a passenger princess, but sometimes, the TFL is the only way to go. However, one thing I do not like to do is run for a bus or train, so sometimes I let them go. There was one time when I considered running for a train; it was already at the platform, but I was far from it. So I stopped. Then, someone behind me saw the exact same train, began to run, and got the train. That could have been me, I thought. With the 15 minutes I had to spare waiting for the next train, I found myself wondering how this scenario plays out in life…

Run - actively try

If you want the train, you’re gonna have to run. Usually, I plan my time and commute to avoid this socially humbling experience, but sometimes, it’s unavoidable. You want the train, you run. I believe that what is for me won’t miss me — that doesn’t mean I don’t have to put in the effort to at least try. Too many times we think because something is a life dream of ours, a fairy godmother will appear and deliver said dream and all we have to do is wish really, really hard. That’s not gonna happen. Wake up. Dreams are not just for sleeping, so you have to get up and run towards it. Thinking about something isn’t doing it. Dreaming of something isn’t believing in it.

Run fast - go with momentum

It is so embarrassing to actually try and get something — publicly. I’m sure we’ve all been on a train and seen someone run for a train — and they miss it… or worse, they get closed in the doors… then miss it. If you’re like me, you try to be a little bit more nonchalant about it. Meaning, you pick up the pace a little, just enough to increase your chances, but not so much that anyone else can see what you were going for. Now, that’s okay to do with trains, but you have got to stop doing that with your goals.

Let’s take posting on social media as an example. We all know someone who is trying to make this “social media thing work” in whatever way that means for them. If you think you don’t know anyone like that, you’re wrong — you know me. I am active on both Instagram and TikTok for the purpose of building a media portfolio of work. It can feel embarrassing to go full force with something when you’re not really sure how it will turn out. But that’s the good thing… you don’t know how it’s going to turn out. You might look back later and realise maybe that wasn’t for me, but you will never regret trying.

If you don’t put your 100% into something, why expect a 100% return on your investment? Moreover, if you only give your 50%, you’ve actually wasted 100% of your time and efforts because you still don’t know if it would’ve worked out had you fully committed.

Quick tip that helps me: The people that you think will find this embarrassing are not your target audience. What does it matter what they think? Stop creating content for trolls and have the confidence that your audience will find you.

Run far - don’t stop when it gets hard

I love the song from Hercules, "Go the Distance." You may have started to run after your dream, you may have run really fast. But the minute a hurdle came up, you stopped because, for some reason, you thought that dreams are supposed to be straightforward, it’s supposed to be easy.

You thought this life was a 100-metre sprint, but it’s more of a marathon. It’s all good going fast, but what’s the point if you can’t finish? The London Marathon just took place and I’m sure each and every participant has a story to tell — of endurance, long-suffering, and grit. But that must also be coupled with a sense of gratification, encouragement, and a renewed self-belief.

In the marathon of life, you can slow down, start to walk. You might even stop for a bit. But I implore you, finish the race. Remember why you started in the first place. The example of the train that we’ve been going with has another lesson to learn too. If you missed the first train because you were too embarrassed to run, there is always a next train. However, imagine how much quicker you could have gotten to your destination if you had put in the effort for the first train, the first hurdle?

Run together - it’s so much better

Another song I really like is in Mufasa, We Go Together. The chorus goes:

If you wanna go fast, go alone
There's the road
Off you go
But if you wanna go far
We go together
So good, so far, we go together

You can go alone, sometimes you have to go alone. But other times, the journey may be so much more enjoyable with a friend, a partner, or even a frenemy. As iron sharpens iron, you can encourage each other to keep going. Or if one is feeling weak, you can help each other. And if for whatever reason, you both run at full force yet still miss the train — you can laugh about it together.