Distance

Sheil Gandhi

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Published: July 26, 2025 at 02:03 AM

As I reflect on week 7 of my 12-week secondment in Toronto. I have started to notice a shift in perspective. I feel like I’ve gained a new confidence simply from existing here. I didn’t go to the mountains. But I’ve disappeared. Not physically, but in the way Jay Shetty described in his speech at Princeton. Disappearing meaning to grow in private, without an audience. The distance has created space from the noise and bullshit back home.

Lately I’ve been thinking about success in sport. Athletes at a competitive level often chase protagonism and even antagonism. In my own cricket journey, I’ve played both roles. It’s in our nature to seek some form of glory. But when I think of success now, I don’t picture the outcome. I only see the hard work. In those moments, there’s no story. No protagonist. No antagonist. Just effort.

As Marcus Aurelius wrote in Meditations, “You’re just a man.” There is no nobility in being successful. It’s your duty.

I don’t think I would have reached that thought if I were still in Wellington. In Now You See Me, Daniel Atlas says, “The closer you look, the less you see.” By stepping back, not just from home but from the noise around me, maybe I’m finally starting to see the bigger picture.