Live Inspired Podcast with John O'Leary Jamaican Bobsledder Devon Harris (ep. 436)
Feb 10, 2022
01:10:25
Three-time Olympian Devon Harris has achieved his greatness. Starting as a barefoot boy trying to win a track race, Devon became a member of Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsled team.
SHOW NOTES:
- As a young boy living in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica, Devon would stand near a light post to see the people living well-off in the distance and it motivated him to see a brighter future.
- Your biography is not your destiny.
- The whining, the complaining the justifying, until you stop that you remain powerless to improve your situation.
- Wi lickle, but wi tallawah! It means we are small, but we are powerful. This attitude allows us as Jamaicans to consistently punch above our weight class. We simply believe that we can do anything.
- The original Jamaican bobsled Olympic team in 1988 inspired the Disney film Cool Runnings.
- Devon competed in 3 Olympics: 1988 in Calgary, 1992 in France and 1998 in Japan.
- Q. What is the best book you’ve ever read? A. The Art of Selfishness by David Seabury.
- Q. What is a characteristic or trait that you possessed as a child that you wish you still exhibited today? A. Persistence.
- Q. Your house is on fire, all living things and people are out. You have the opportunity to run in and grab one item. What would it be? A. A photo collage of my family.
- Q. You are sitting on a bench overlooking a gorgeous beach. You have the opportunity to have a long conversation with anyone living or dead. Who would it be? A. Fellow Jamaican Sam Sharpe and Nelson Mandela.
- Q. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? A. My Army Capitan said, "have a good sense of humor."
- Q. What advice would you give your 20-year-old self? A. Slow down a little and enjoy the process.
- Q. It’s been said that all great people can have their lives summed up in one sentence. How do you want yours to read? A. He was a good father, husband and friend.