You, too, should go for gold
Have you been watching any of the summer Olympics?
The red, white and blue is racking up the gold, silver and bronze, with 14 medals to the U.S.A. as of Monday afternoon – with, of course, more being added all the time. In all, 32 sports make up the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, and Team USA boasts nearly 600 athletes, with representatives in every event except handball, competing to bring glory back home.
We think their competitive spirit should be an inspiration to us all.
No, most of us are never going to compete on an international stage, using our athletic prowess to make our country proud. We’re not going to be selected to join Team USA on the field of competition, whether for diving or gymnastics or cycling or table tennis or any other event.
The truth is, though, do any of us actually have Olympic dreams? For most of us, the answer is no. We don’t aspire to go for the gold in squash or karate or beach volleyball.
Nevertheless, we all do have goals in life we want to achieve, and we can let the athletes of Team USA inspire us to go for the gold in whatever pursuit we’re on.
What lessons can we take from these top athletes when it comes to trying to reach our goals – whether that’s a big work project, a health and fitness improvement, a personal finance goal or a bucket list dream?
For one, preparation and training are key. No athlete just wakes up one morning and says, “Ah, the Olympics start tomorrow. I think I’ll compete in basketball or maybe equestrian. Yeah, that sounds good.” No, athletes take weeks and months to prepare. They practice, they work out, they seek the guidance of coaches and mentors. They work hard toward the goal they want to achieve. Whether your goal is going on a mission trip, getting promoted to manager or acing your final exam, you can’t just wake up one day and do it. You’ll need to do the proper planning and the necessary lead-up work to make it happen.
Another point – Olympic athletes persevere to the end. After all, that’s where the silver and bronze medals come in, don’t they? At some point, every competitor realizes when he or she isn’t going to take the top spot. But they don’t quit then and there. They don’t just give up. They keep fighting – and that’s why the U.S. can claim seven silver medals and four bronze, as of Monday afternoon.
And those second- and third-place finishes are nothing to sneeze at! Those competitors are still taking the podium, receiving their medals and being lauded by their home countries. Many of them are bringing home the U.S.A.’s first-ever medal in their respective sports. As we work toward our goals, we need the same mentality. Push to achieve, but if you can’t get the gold, still do the best you can do. It’s like Bonnie Blair, American speed skater and five-time gold medalist is quoted as saying: “Winning doesn’t always mean being first. Winning means you’re doing better than you’ve ever done before.”
And as Australian swimmer and 2008 gold medalist Bronte Barratt notes, “It’s not about winning at the Olympic Games. It’s about trying to win. The motto is faster, higher, stronger, not fastest, highest, strongest. Sometimes it’s the trying that matters.”
So as you watch the Olympics – continuing through Aug. 11 – take inspiration from the athletes you see. Go for the gold – in whatever “sport” is yours.
