Life is about timing.

When Carl Lewis, the swift-footed champion whose strides carried him into immortality, declared, “Life is about timing,” he spoke with the voice of one who had mastered both the track and the truth of existence. These words, though simple, carry the weight of the ages. For life itself, like a race, does not reward only the strong or the talented, but those who move at the right moment, who seize the instant when destiny opens its hand.

The origin of this saying lies in Lewis’s own career, where fractions of a second determined the difference between triumph and obscurity. In the sprints and the long jump, power and preparation mattered, but it was timing that crowned the victor—timing of the start, timing of the stride, timing of the leap. Lewis knew that a mistimed start could ruin a race, and a mistimed jump could end a dream. Beyond the stadium, he saw that life itself follows the same law: opportunities appear like fleeting openings, and the wise must act when the moment is ripe.

The ancients would have nodded at such wisdom. The Greeks spoke of kairos, the opportune moment, the sacred instant when action must be taken. To seize kairos was to win glory; to miss it was to be left behind, no matter how strong one’s preparation. The farmer knows that planting must be done in season, or the harvest will be barren. The warrior knows that striking too early or too late can cost him victory. And so, Lewis distilled into modern words what philosophers and poets had long known: life is about timing.

Consider the story of the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, where Lewis sought to equal Jesse Owens by winning four gold medals. The pressure was immense, the eyes of the world upon him. Yet Lewis, calm and patient, waited for his moment. His starts were measured, his strides perfectly timed, his jumps released in harmony with his body’s rhythm. He did not chase glory recklessly—he let it come to him, striking when the moment was right. In so doing, he carved his name into history.

The lesson here is clear: strength and talent are not enough without timing. We may prepare, we may train, we may dream—but if we do not act when the door opens, we will remain on the threshold. Likewise, rushing ahead without waiting for the right season often leads to ruin. Success in life demands patience and readiness: to prepare diligently when the time has not yet come, and to act decisively when it finally does.

What then must we do? First, train ourselves with patience, knowing that preparation is never wasted. Second, cultivate awareness, so that when opportunity arrives, we recognize it for what it is. Third, act with courage at the appointed time—do not hesitate when the moment comes, for hesitation is the thief of destiny.

Thus, Carl Lewis’s words echo across time: “Life is about timing.” They remind us that life is not merely a measure of strength, but of wisdom; not merely of effort, but of rhythm; not merely of dreams, but of the courage to strike when the moment calls. Let us live, then, like runners on the track: ready, patient, and alert—so that when our moment comes, we are not found idle, but already in motion, claiming the victory that waits for those who master the art of time.