The Olympics couldn’t have come at a better time, at least for me personally. They’ve been the dose of inspiration I’ve needed in a long, uninspiring, sluggish, dark, cold winter. In watching, I made an important realization. Here I’m going to share what I learned watching the Olympics.
What I Learned Watching the Olympics
I sat on my couch in awe as I watched the women’s half-pipe and Chloe Kim win gold. She’s fluent in three languages and a gold medalist at 17. I smiled ear to ear overjoyed for her as she made her victory run.
“I can’t even not eat too much pizza,” I said aloud to myself.
Although I’ve always had incredible admiration for Olympians, I assumed they arrived at the Olympics because the deck was stacked in their favor. Like the fourth generation son in a long line of Harvard graduates, I figured a lot of it came down to where they live, who they know, and how much money they have. First of all, these sports are expensive! And you can’t do most of these sports just anywhere.
So I figured “good for them,” but thought, “yeah, I could be an Olympian too if I had rich, supportive parents who exposed me to a sport at a young age, nurtured my talent and made sure I lived in an area where I could practice.”
What I learned not only watching the Olympics this year, but listening, is how wrong I was.
First of all, not all Olympians have the deck stacked in their favor. Yes, Chloe Kim may have the world’s most supportive parents. (Her dad quit his job when she was eight years old so that he could travel the world with her!) But the closest halfpipe to her home in California was five hours away. During the two years she lived in Switzerland, she had to take two trains to reach the Alps. Not to mention that no matter how much support she had, she still had to find the courage to speed down a vertical slope and up the other side in order to launch herself into the air and flip around a few times before landing on hard packed snow. No matter your circumstances, that kind of courage comes from within.
And let’s look at figure skater Adam Rippon. During his interview immediately following his solo team skate, an announcer asked him what it took to be there in PyeongChang. He explained that he had moved to Los Angeles six years ago to work with a certain coach. In order to do so, he slept in a basement and stole apples from the gym because he couldn’t afford a place to live, let alone food.
After hearing these stories, this is what I learned watching the Olympics: Dreams require sacrifice.
Sacrifice
Deck stacked in my favor or not, I don’t have what it takes to be an Olympian. I don’t have that ability to sacrifice to the level required of me in order to reach my dreams.
Do you really think Chloe Kim woke up at the crack of dawn every Saturday excited to sit in a car for five hours? Maybe sometimes? She was a kid when she started snowboarding and then a teenager, that wonderful age when our friends, love lives, and phones take precedence over all else. But not for Chloe and Adam and the other Olympians. They sacrificed. And that’s why they’re in South Korea right now. And they damn well deserve to be there.
I am in awe of Olympians. For me, I’m not just watching what they can do, but I’m watching for what they have done to get to where they are. I love the stories. The setbacks, the trials, the tribulations. Each story is incredibly inspiring to me.
I don’t have a completed draft of my novel or weigh less than I did this time last year, let alone have a medal around my neck. That’s because I don’t sacrifice enough. I don’t sacrifice sleep, couch time, eating or drinking too much, the urge to be lazy… is it any wonder I haven’t achieved my goals and dreams.
But I’m taking inspiration from these Olympians and at least now I know what it takes to be a champion: sacrifice.
What have you sacrificed to achieve your dreams?
sacrificing too much sleep wont help! But I agree. If you want to be a writer, published or not, you have to write and that means sacrifice somewhere – sleep, TV, social time, social media, something! Of course, you dont have to give up something completely, but i know i spend way too much mindlessly browsing social media. It’s one thing to have a dedicated time for it, but to browse to avoid doing anything is a waste.
Olympians are truly incredible people! Natural talent can only get you so far.
Love this! Thanks for sharing @ Blogging Boost!
I am always in such awe of Olympians, so much so that I volunteered as a host in the athlete’s village in Vancouver 2010. Such an amazing & inspirational experience. Was awesome to see some of my friends from around the world competing again this year.
I hope to instill in my kids that with sacrifice and hard work they can achieve their dreams. I’ve sacrificed a lot of my time with them to build my two businesses, and my husband sacrifices so much by working up north to make money so we can have our dream home and a good life for them. I hope they see the sacrifices we’ve made and know that nothing is handed to you on a silver platter.
Very cool! I’m sure you and your husband are having a wonderfully positive influence on your children.