You make an excellent point about this saying. But I'm sure you know, it's not meant to be taken literally, maybe you wouldn't run as much as Usain Bolt, but in the same 24 hours, you could've run a part of that. But you sit on the couch and then complain about not getting anywhere. Well, that's because you didn't run. Well, not you personally, of course, but I think that's what the saying's talking about.
Whenever I've used the phrase, it was in relation to my own personal goals. For example, I set out to write 5 pages today and I did. My friend sat down to design a presentation and did not. Both things could've been easily done in 24h, the key being your drive to do them.
You may not be Stephen Hawking or Usain Bolt, but if you used your time wisely, you could've become an equivalent (or at least someone) in yoour chosen field, like they did in theirs. That's how I've always viewed it.
Really nice post, dear.
This article came from a comment that stated we all have the same attention to spend each day and not a nanosecond more than anyone else. I disagree.
And yes, you are right. The way we spend our time is a predictor of the future in some way, as is what we consume during that time spent.