We can all Go for the Gold

The Olympics have always captivated me. “The thrill of victory … and the agony of defeat.” I so wanted to be Mary Lou Retton landing two “perfect 10s” on the vault to secure a gold medal.

When I was in college, I had the unique experience of seeing the life of Olympic athletes up close as a journalism intern at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. I lived, ate and played at the Olympic training complex just like all the athletes – with one distinct difference. They spent five hours a day testing the limits of their minds and bodies for the prospect of Olympic gold. And I sat in a desk writing press releases for five dollars a day.

Despite the meager wages, it was a fair trade. I lived for free at the foot of Pikes Peak and gained a real lesson in what it means to be completely focused, truly committed to a singular purpose. To believe that a crazy dream is not only possible but worth making significant sacrifices to achieve.

Most of the athletes I met were living a long way from home. They were investing time, money, freedom and their youth for a remote chance to be among the world’s elite in their sport.

While carefree interns like me were going out dancing, they were going to bed early for rest. While we explored the Rockies, they stayed home to avoid risking an injury.

Day in and day out, years before their next chance to try out for the Olympics, they were risking everything to accomplish their goal. It seemed a fairly lonely pursuit, often monotonous, and filled with ups and downs and factors that were often beyond their control.

The smiles on those who achieve the ultimate dream, reach their full potential and earn Olympic gold, tell of the incredible personal investment involved.

Few of us are called to this level of athletic achievement. Daily struggles and the inertia of past decisions can certainly bog us down, making us feel like we are destined for mediocrity. But at this time when the demise of yet another political statesman, John Edwards, is front page news, we can learn from other, more genuine examples of excellence offered by our Olympic sportsmen and women.

Through incredible discipline, focus, hard work and sacrifice, they are shattering world records, setting new standards of distinction in their sport and ultimately achieving their own potential for greatness.

The playing fields for most of us are in our kitchens, classrooms and businesses. But the potential for greatness in each one of us, and the formula for achieving it, is much the same.