Do you do this crazy thing when you get obsessed?

In 16 sleeps, I’ll be striking Usain Bolt’s signature pose on stage at the Professional Speakers Australia Convention 2025. Not randomly—it’s part of my keynote (just saying).

Sounds easy, right? Five seconds in a 45-minute speech. Just strike a pose. I thought so, too.

But, as it turns out, making it look effortless requires actual effort. So naturally, I did what any normal person does when they get obsessed.

I went down a ridiculous rabbit hole. I have watched way too many slow-mo replays of Bolt’s stance. I now know things no regular person needs to know—like the exact angle of his elbow and the micro-adjustments in his foot placement.

And yet, somehow, when I do it? It looks more like I’m swatting a fly or hailing a cab in a storm.

Still, I keep practising—in my office, when walking my dog, and at the gym (where I may or may not have made it onto someone’s “weird things I saw today” list).

Because real progress happens in the quiet, uncelebrated moments, it’s built in the grind. The unglamorous, repetitive, do-it-when-no-one’s-watching work.

Elite athletes? They spend 95% of their time going over the basics*.
Musicians practice scales on repeat.
Speakers? We rehearse. Every pause, gesture, vocal shift—again and again.

And the most challenging part? My friend Julian Mather reminds me that what makes this work hard isn’t just the practice—but the self-doubt, frustration, and embarrassment that come with it.

On the days I don’t feel like doing the work? I remind myself: If Usain Bolt—the fastest man alive practices basic sprint drills daily, I can practice not looking like a malfunctioning robot for five seconds.

Below is an awkward video of me trying. You’re welcome!

What’s one “basic” you show up for, day after day?

*Fun fact: Elite athletes spend 95% of their time drilling the basics. I learned this from watching Netflix’s Sprint: The World’s Fastest Humans. Makes me feel a bit better about my relentless Usain Bolt pose rehearsals. Just a bit.