Bolt and the Italians

So once again Usain Bolt has proved that he is a rare pedigree. Watching the world athletic championships the other day, I was so impressed by his casual approach before the competition. While his opponents were all having aggressive poses more suited to extreme physical sports, Bolt was strutting around the blocks all the time smiling and gesticulating. With his winning ways, he has opened the world of athletics which was embattling the menace of doping, to a new legion of fans both old and young. His exceptional talent and dazzling charisma has also made him a media darling and an advertiser's dream. The competition between Bolt, Gay and Powell is comparable to that between Carl Lewis and Ben Johnson and will propel the normally placid world of athletics in to a high octane sport.

This light hearted view of life is what I feel is making Usain Bolt so destructive. Such an approach is definitely creating a stress free environment for Bolt, making him highly creative and competent.

While living in London few years ago, I took a vacation to Italy and found that the Italian life was such a contrast to life in England. No doubt, there are excellent hotspots in UK like museums, art galleries, concert halls, theatres, clubs, restaurants etc but I found most people (the ones that I came across) in UK unexciting. May be it’s the cold and damp weather which makes them less sociable. However in Italy, I found the locals very similar in attitude to Usain bolt; cheerful, laid back, people oriented and unpretentious. Travelling around in Italy, I soon figured out that whether it’s a fisher man in Sardinia or a farmer in Naples, their casual approach to life is also making them highly creative and original which produces a winning attitude. No wonder, many of the most reputed brands in the world; Armani, Zegna, Prada, D&G, Ferrari, Lamborghini etc originate in Italy.

So the bottom line is “live free; win big”