#143 - Finding the courage to keep pushing forward with Devon Harris

“I grew up watching the Olympics and you see these athletes from around the world marching in the opening ceremonies. And then one day, you are setting foot in that stadium. 50,000 people screaming and you look to your right and you see more cameras than you can count. And in that moment that you are on TV around the world and some little kid is probably looking at you the way you looked at some other athlete."

How do you find the courage to push forward when fear and uncertainty stand in your way? In this episode, I speak to Devon Harris, member of the legendary Jamaican bobsleigh team that inspired the film Cool Runnings. Devon shares his journey from growing up in Kingston's neighborhoods to becoming an army officer and eventually an Olympic athlete - despite being afraid of both speed and heights! 

Devon shows us how keeping focused on moving forward is often the only real choice we have.

Here are the highlights:

04:51 Uncertain future after High School

09:06 Nervous summer running up to Army Selection

12:33 From Jamaica to Sandhurst Training

37:19  Dream-fulfilling moment of participating in the Olympics opening ceremony

43:40 Balancing soldier duties and Olympics

56:25 Persistence and selfishness misunderstood

The things that helped Devon navigate change - 

Book: “Think and Grow Rich”  - Napoleon Hill

Music: “We Built This City” - Starship

The one piece of advice: “Don't give up. You can't give up. I know how frustrating it can be, and how incredibly frustrating the journey can be and sometimes it feels like you're running out of time. But you're not running out of time. Keep pushing forward.”

More about Devon

Devon Harris, born on Christmas Day 1964 in Kingston, Jamaica, transformed his life from a violent ghetto upbringing to become an Olympic bobsledder and inspirational figure. Overcoming adversity through determination, Devon graduated from the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and served as an officer in the Jamaica Defence Force. He gained fame as part of Jamaica's first bobsled team in the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, inspiring the film "Cool Runnings." Devon continued competing in two more Winter Olympics and later founded the Keep On Pushing Foundation to support disadvantaged youth. As an athlete ambassador for Right to Play and an Olympian For Life, Devon now inspires others through motivational speaking and authorship, sharing his remarkable journey from Jamaican ghetto to Olympic glory.

Find out more: https://devonharris.com/

Instagram: @officialdevonharris 

Tiktok: @officialdevonharris

About your host Eleanor 

Eleanor supports individuals, teams and organisations through change. Whether it’s 121 coaching or large scale organisational change through communications and training. Eleanor’s work centres around how we, as humans, work through change, embracing the messy bits, the role of playing, with the aim to see opportunity. “Too often we get stuck in the change happening to us, when just through that next door is an exciting next chapter.” 

Eleanor is the founder of Another Door, and Get-Recommended.com and the author of Why losing your job could be the best thing that ever happened to you. 

Instagram:instagram/anotherdooruk

LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/eleanor-tweddell/

Website: eleanortweddell.com

Produced by winteraudio.co.uk