Be Human

It took me 21 years to realise I was a human being.

Before that, I had nicknames like “Two Hearts, Four Lungs” and “Green Machine.” Names that fed into the idea that I was special, different, a superhero, not human.

The dangers of thinking you are a superhero

If feeling like a superhero sounds empowering, let me tell you it was the opposite. Every athlete needs self-belief, but this was not self-belief. It was a refusal to accept the flaws that come with being human. It was insecurity in not knowing or accepting who I was behind the mask.

Apart from being a dangerous mental space to be in, this mindset held me back.

It held me back because I could not accept my weaknesses, fragility or failings as a normal human being. I did not believe they would happen, so when they did, I had no way of coping.

But the truth is, I am human. I am not the Green Machine. I fail just like everyone else, even those we idolise, thosewho are as close to superhuman as it is possible to be.

Accepting that I am human

Once I accepted I was a human being and that human beings struggle, I started to thrive. I stopped fearing failure (as much!) and sought out opportunities instead.

Accepting I was human allowed me to work on the human side of my performance, the side I had neglected for my whole career. This led to my happiest and healthiest time as an athlete.

There were countless times when I did not win races. Despite my success, I had a win rate of only 46 percent. I lost more times than I won.

In 2012 I finished fourth at the London Olympics. I could not handle the emotions that came with this failure and the emotions that any human would feel. My performance was tied too closely to my worth as a person, and that result made me question my existence.

In 2018 I finished fourth at the Commonwealth Games. This time I understood myself and life much better. Through experience and acceptance, I knew this result was a possibility. It is human to feel disappointment, sadness and even shame when you do not achieve what you are aiming for. But this time, I was able to work through those emotions in a constructive way, grounded in reality. I analysed the performance as an athlete from a human perspective and figured out how to improve. Six years earlier, I was incapable of doing that.

Focus on the human and the professional will thrive

There is a lot out there about elite mindsets, and I am not here to tell you what is right or wrong.

But whatever you do, remember that you are human all the time. Try as you might, and believe me I did, you will never fully separate your human side from your professional side.

If you are struggling in your personal life, the effects will filter through to your professional life.

So you need to work on the human as much as you work on the professional.

Ask yourself, what does being human look like to me?

For me, it is being there for my daughter and my friends. Being involved with and watching rugby. Following my passion for coaching. Feeling like I belong to a group or community. Having autonomy and flexibility to make my own choices in life. Without these things, I do not feel human. Funnily enough, none of them were directly related to honing my craft as an athlete, yet made me a better performer when it mattered.

Another way to think about this is to write down your chargers and triggers. What are the things that energise you, and what are the things that drain you? Once we have awareness of what lifts us and what does not, we can make better decisions about how to spend our time and energy.

So what does being human look like for you?

Until next time,

Jack

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I’ve spent the last 12 years delivering keynotes to over 500 organisations—including Nike, Oxford and Cambridge Universities, Liverpool FC, Diageo, Vodafone, and Sky—helping teams be their best. If you’re looking to enhance performance, drive wellbeing, and inspire action, let’s talk. Click below to explore how we can work together.