Myles Biggs Visit
Written By: Sarah Lanphear
On Monday, February 5th, Lycoming's Athletic Department welcomed Lycoming Alumni Myles Biggs to speak to student-athletes about Unseen Work and preparing for success throughout and after college. Biggs was a successful swimmer at Lycoming College who went on to publish the award-winning novel, "Unseen Work," speak at TEDx, develop the "Relish the Journey" podcast, and become the Director of Strategic Projects for a Level Agency, all while training for a marathon and eventually an ultramarathon. The Academic Centers D-001 was packed with student-athletes and coaches excited to learn about Myles's success and the philosophies that allowed him to balance his career accomplishments with his success as an athlete.
Biggs opened with the statement central to his book: "You have to do the Unseen Work so that when you're seen, you have something to show for it." He described how this work begins with the legacy left by people such as parents and grandparents, and he invited students to write down the people who were most influential in their upbringings and careers. Students were then asked to describe the positive attributes past generations had instilled in them and then to explore what traits they did not want to bring with them into the rest of their lives. Biggs shared personal stories of his struggles with alcohol and motivation to prove that past generations, and even personal pasts, do not have to lead to negative futures.
Following his discussion of Generational Unseen Work, the speaker asked students to think about Active Unseen Work, which are the goals and direct pathways that they can take to achieve them. He described how these paths are beneficial but often had unexpected failures or distractions, showing a diagram of his indirect path to success. His F.L.I.P. or F.L.O.P approach explains how one can either learn from a failure or allow it to consume them, providing his examples of success in running long distances despite failures in training and nutrition compared to his continued lack of completion of pilot training despite his goal to do so. Biggs also addressed the concept of Passive Unseen Work by describing how seemingly unrelated efforts can lead to the accomplishment of future goals.
The presentation concluded with Biggs' advice to build a foundation for future goals as soon as possible. He described how bamboo spends five years developing a root system before emerging from the ground, after which it quickly grows into a towering plant. He encouraged the student-athletes to apply this to their lives and concluded by shifting his opening statement into a mantra: "I have to do the Unseen Work so that when I'm seen, I have something to show for it." This inspirational presentation was an excellent opportunity for students to consider their goals, empower them to find their passions, and lay the groundwork for future success.
