Louis Zamperini was a skinny and scrappy kid from California—nicknamed the “Torrance Tornado” for his incredible speed in running events.
If you haven’t heard of him yet, I have a blog post dedicated to his life story here, which is a short summary of what became a bestselling book and blockbuster movie.
As a 17-year-old high school student, he achieved his life’s dream of competing in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, Germany.
As a child of poor Italian immigrants, Zamperini was completely unprepared for the endless daily buffet of food afforded to Olympic athletes at that time.
He recalls, “I had never even had so much as a drug store deli sandwich.”
In only a few weeks, Zamperini managed to gain nearly 12 pounds, which did not help his Olympic running aspirations.
In his final 5K race, he finished in a meagre 8th place.
However, despite the limitations of his much heavier physical body, the Torrance Tornado had something deep inside his mind and spirit that flipped on like a switch in his last lap.
At the very end of his race, he somehow managed to run his final lap in an astonishing 56 seconds.
The sprint was so impressive that Adolf Hitler asked to meet him, shaking his hand and remarking, “Ah, so you are the kid with the fast finish.”
In a strange twist of fate, only a few years later Zamperini would enlist in the military and fight against the very man whose hand he shook.
What makes a person run their fastest when all hope of winning has passed?
How can someone dig deep and gather the physical and mental fortitude to press through the pain and exhaustion in the final lap?
Your last lap of 2024
A few years ago, a mentor of mine asked me a powerful question:
“What would a strong finish look like for you this year?”
He would typically ask me this around September each year, as a way to force me to reflect upon and being intentional about my life and goals for the year, and to stay focused on the things that matter most.
Each year, I enjoy pulling out my journal and jotting down my response to this question, and then asking my close friends what their strong finish is.
I always find myself inspired and challenged by the things my friends say, whether it be a commitment to their families, a final business milestone they hope to achieve, or keeping a spiritual discipline during the chaos of the holidays.
I encourage you this week to get away for 30 minutes of silence to write down your own answer to this question.
“What would a strong finish look like for you this year?”
I often take a look at my Life Plan document (my article and free template in link) during this process to review the goals I had at the beginning of the year.
Sometimes I have the same goals at the end of the year, and sometimes things have changed by the fourth quarter.
Maybe you have a parenting issue that needs to be front and center.
Maybe your relationship needs a big deposit.
Maybe you need to recommit to your health and skip the holiday treats.
Maybe you had a great year financially and you feel challenged to be generous.
It can be helpful to review typical life accounts such as work, family, health, finances, spirituality, fun, or friends.
Whatever your process, be intentional this year about finishing strong.
We could all take a page from Zamperini and dig deep in our final lap.
In fact, despite horrific PTSD from POW camps, plane crashes, starvation, and alcoholism—Zamperini miraculously lived a pretty healthy life until the age of 97.
Perhaps something in his psychological and spiritual makeup led to his longevity despite the odds. He clearly possessed extremely rare qualities as a human being.
What would happen if you dig deep for your most important goals of 2024?
What could happen if you started a lifelong habit of strong finishes every year?
Have a great weekend!
Parker
