Being Tony

I enjoyed a lie-in this morning and went out for a little over 2 miles. Weather cloudier today, but pretty warm. All in all a really nice run.

On my run this morning, David Hemery's quote "There is a spark of greatness in everyone" crossed my mind, as well as the phrase "Draw a line in the sand" from the excellent book ReWork, which is one of several that I'm juggling with reading at the moment.

I do believe that there is a spark of greatness in everyone. That greatness may not mean world records, fame, or acclaim, but nevertheless it's in there.

Drawing a line in the sand is about deciding what you stand for and not compromising on that in any way, shape or form.

My ruminations on my run led to the thought that I stand for that spark of greatness in everyone, and my line in the sand should be about acting from my chosen side of that line always.

Do I do that now? No, I don't think so.

Do I do it a lot? Yes, I think I do.

My challenge, and it is a challenge, is to be able to do that every single time and in every single moment.

Will I achieve it? Probably not every single time, like when I'm tired, upset, sad, sick or overwhelmed.

But when I fail, my challenge is to redraw that line in the sand, this time even deeper and recommit a hundred per cent.

I think that acting from my chosen side of the line of greatness is where my greatness lies.

And that for me is what Being Tony is all about. That is what it means for me to be true to myself.

Guardians of the flame

I had to use the head torch on my run again this morning because I was due to be at a Headteachers' seminar on the London 2012 Games, called "Preparing for a Moment in History".

It was a very inspiring event with over two hundred school headteachers, Dame Kelly Holmes, David Hemery and a host of amazing young performers, including Kieran Gaffney, the incredible 14-year-old drummer who featured on "Britain's Got Talent" last year.

It was also the second time I had come face to face with Kelly Holmes in a week, after she placed my medal round my neck after the Tunbridge Wells Half Marathon.

I found the seminar really uplifting.

It was the third time I had heard David Hemerey present, and I was as inspired as the rest of the audience, and also just as much as both the other times I'd heard him.

The phrase he used that really caught my imagination, which he attributed to Bruce Tulloh, the former athlete and coach, was that as coaches and teachers we are "guardians of the flame" of the enthusiasm of the children (and adults) that we work with.

What a beautiful image and an amazing responsibility!