Blind paralympian and world champion Lex Gillette: visualize your goals
Paralympian and four-time world champion, Lex Gillette, was only eight years old when he permanently lost his eyesight. For a free-spirited kid who was used to playing sports with his friends, this wasn’t just a huge shock; it was a complete upheaval of his life.
But even at such a young age, Lex knew he had a choice: he could view his new reality as a disadvantage that would forever hold him back, or he could envision a future in which he thrived. As the country’s most decorated long and triple jumper, it’s obvious which route Lex chose.
Though Lex could no longer see, he had a vision for his future. With the support of his mother, Verdina Gillette-Simms, Lex started small: walking to the laundromat next door; learning how to read braille; shooting hoops in his bedroom. These accomplishments set the foundation for the amazing things to come. Today, Lex is a three-time long jump champion and an 18-time national champion. He is the only completely blind athlete to sail past the 22-foot long jump barrier. And he’s just getting started.
Lex recounted his incredible journey on Calm’s new audio series The Spark, explaining the power of visualization.
“Being blind literally gives me the opportunity to create and shape the world that I want to see,” he says. And right now, he’s envisioning what a win looks like at the 2021 Tokyo Games.
“Here in Southern California, I’m in Tokyo already,” Lex explains. “I see myself inside the stadium.” He’s running through the motions, figuratively and literally, months in advance — hearing the crowd, feeling the breeze, smelling the sweat. “You build these scenes in your mind to the point where they become so strong,” he adds. “That’s what’s making me roll out of bed every morning.”
The motivation certainly helps, Lex says, because while the competition element is filled with adrenaline and excitement, the everyday is much more tedious. He’s up early training in the gym, fueling his mental and physical health, and continually strategizing with his team as he seeks to run faster and jump farther.
“I think that sometimes we get caught up in, literally, the destination point,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, that’s important. But there’s so much that goes on before you can even get to that point.”
Regardless of the challenge, he revisits the same set of questions: “What do I want out of this situation? What do I want to do? Where do I want to go?” Then, he maps out how to make each of those ambitions a reality.
“I think blindness has really been a huge blessing because it’s taught me that sight is never the determining factor in our success,” he says. “It’s always that vision and our ability to see things before they exist.”
He likens envisioning success to creating a vision board; only for him, those visualizations live in his head and not on a corkboard. Each day, he plays out the scenarios of what he wants to happen, carefully noting every step it takes to get results. He sees it, he does it, he achieves it. And if something doesn’t go his way, he revisits his strategy. The process is all-consuming, but it has freed him from self-doubt and the weighty expectation of others.
“Every time I step on that runway, and I pushed the limits and I get to that point to jump, it’s almost like someone’s opening the door to this birdcage,” he says. “It’s like they’re loosening the shackles of what the world expects you to do… And I am proving to the world, not only to the world but also to myself, that this was meant for you.”
With every intention Lex sets for himself, he creates a world of countless possibilities.
Fears don’t hold him back; they propel him towards his goals. And in this world he’s envisioned — that he’s dreamed of, smelled, tasted, and touched over and over again — there’s no room for naysayers or harmful distractions. Lex is flying.
Tune is for more inspiration every Monday and Wednesday on The Spark.
