You have to go up there and jump high and clear whatever the bar may be. It's a competition within myself. That's how it was even before I was the best in the world, because that's the approach to every competition.
Interpretation
Striving for personal excellence is essential, regardless of external competition.
In this quote, Armand Duplantis emphasizes that the true competition lies within oneself rather than with others. He advocates for personal growth and striving to exceed one's own limits, suggesting that success is achieved by continuously challenging oneself and aiming to improve, rather than simply competing against others.
In practice
During a motivational speech at a sports camp to inspire young athletes.
That's a pretty big advantage to this journey that I've been able to have, is that I was able to start at such a young age because my father built a setup and I was able to build a technique from 3 years up to now. Without the backyard, I'm not whatever I am today. I knew that none of my classmates were pole vaulting.
If I go into years only thinking about medals I'm missing the whole meaning of what I've always been trying to do, which is trying to push myself and push the barriers of what is possible.
Don't lose heart if it's very difficult at times, everything will come out all right and nobody can in the beginning do as he wishes.
Any damage that's been done, you have to fix yourself because it needs fixing and there is nobody else to do the work. Blame may well be justified, but it's not going to move you forward in your life.
If you aim higher than you expect, you could reach higher than you dreamed.
Whatever your circumstances, whatever your past, the forces that determine your future are nowhere but within your own heart and mind. It is here that the star of your destiny shines.
Putting on your crown is really like accepting the fact that you are a queen. You're a great woman. Wherever you are in life, just keep on that path, and so for me, sometimes as women, we forget - we forget that about ourselves. So, putting on your crown is sort of reminding yourself that, hey, I'm a queen, and I can do what I want in this life and take it.
I've often thought that when something is hard for you, whether it's going to law school or anything else that challenges you, that's probably what you should do.
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