Over the last 2 weeks, I have been glued to the Olympics. It is such an emotional time – watching the triumphs, the losses, the victories and the fails…above all, the stories – the journeys to the Olympic stage. Imagine the dedication, the sacrifice, the pain and the glory…all worth it. The Olympics transcends age, race, nationality, ability, sexual orientation – it doesn’t matter – what matters is that they have worked so hard to be there – just like everyone else!
Over the course of these games, we watched as competitors embrace each other. We saw people fall and get back up to the cheers of watchers and not win a medal. We saw people from one country root for another country to win. We saw tears from losing, but smiling for the winners. We saw countries win their first ever medals. These are lessons in sportsmanship, perseverance and human empathy. Thank you for the lessons.
When those athletes step onto the podium, imagine all of the joy they feel – I bet they feel the hands of all of those that helped them get to that point. The early morning drop offs at the pool, the late night pick ups, the competitions, the falls, the trips…the tears and the cheers. So many people supporting and rooting for that athlete.
Standing on that podium is a culmination of so much hard work. As we move forward from the Games, let’s not forget the lessons learned:
- Hard work pays off – whether you win or lose
- It takes a village – a success of one is a success of others
- Winning isn’t the goal – giving it your best is
- Root for others – whether they are your competitors or not – we are all human
On to 2022 for the Winter Games!! Faster, stronger, higher – Together! Arigato…
