Lessons From the Olympics

I haven't written anything for my blog for quite some time now. The reason? I've been watching the Olympics. Beginning with the Opening Ceremonies, I realized there would be valuable lessons to be found. I told myself to make mental notes of what I learned as the Olympic events began.

One of the things that was discussed during the opening ceremonies was the significance of water in the Chinese culture. The Chinese consider that a life well-lived has the elements of water - flow, calm, ease and taking the path of least resistance. I can't help but notice how many times our lives do not resemble water. That might give a new meaning to importance of staying hydrated.

During one of the spectacular parts of the ceremony, precise circles were formed without any markings on the floor to guide the performers. This was accomplished because each performer had a keen awareness of exactly where they were and where their neighbor was on the floor. I believe we could all benefit by increasing our awareness of where we are in this moment of our life and where our neighbor is in relationship to us.

Deena Kastor (US women's marathoner) was asked about the sacrifices she has made over the years preparing and training for the Olympics. She calmly replied back that she preferred to think of it as choices she has made rather than sacrifices. Often I think we get caught up in thinking of our training in a negative way - "I have to run this morning", rather than "I get to run this morning". We actually always have a choice. We also have a choice in how we view the things ahead of us. We can view them as tasks, chores, more to-do lists, or we can view them as opportunities and choices.

Dara Torres (US 41-year old swimmer) showed incredible sportsmanship when she stopped her own mental preparation immediately before one of her events, to instead go over and inform an official that another competitor had a problem with her suit and needed extra time to come on the pool deck. Dara could have been focused entirely on her own race. Instead, she wanted to race to be started with fairness to all competitors, allowing the other swimmer to compete. She showed incredible grace in the bright smile she had at the end of her races regardless of how she placed. She also was quick to offer a heart-felt congratulations and "Good job" to her fellow competitors. You could tell she was genuinely happy for the other athletes.

I was also struck by Michael Phelps struggle with ADHD as a child. He had difficulty in the classroom and was bullied by other children. Children with ADD or ADHD are easily distracted by the things in their environment. Michael's mom described how the pool lane provided a calming environment. It was free from distractions. It consisted of the black line at the bottom of the pool and the wall at each end. This clean environment provided a place where Michael could focus, be calm and tap into his talent. All of us could probably benefit from finding our own version of a clean environment on a regular basis.

There have been so many inspirational stories and athletic performances during this Olympics. I thought I would have a long list of mini lessons from watching. Now I find it is hard to separate them out from such an amazing series of athletic performances.

I have been reminded of the importance of "heart". Many times the Gold Medal winner has not been the favorite, but instead the athlete with the most heart, the athlete who wanted redemption from a previous Olympic experience that did not go as they had hoped.