OK so I’m not exactly sitting in front of my TV every night covered in red, white and blue, screaming “USA! USA! USA!”, but I am really enjoying the Sochi Winter Olympics so far. This is a pretty unusual development for me. Typically I don’t pay attention to the vast majority of the summer version, and in years past I have watched very little if any of the winter games. What has changed this time around? Well, I think that honestly my own forays into being an athlete (i.e. sucking at CrossFit) have made me appreciate true athletes in all their forms. I can suddenly watch a sport that I have no real interest in because I am fascinated by the skill and strength of these people who are the best in the world at what they do. I think what resonates the most for me though is the amount of preparation that these people put into being the best. I watched A LOT of ice skating the other night…and I spent most of that time amazed not by twizzles and triple-flippy-things, but instead staring at the quads of the female ice skaters, admiring the power that they have in their legs, and being amazed by their flexibility. I’m not a snowboarder, but I have watched dozens of athletes hurl themselves through the air so far in the new slopestyle event. It’s amazing to think about the concentration that goes into some of their tricks, not to mention the strength and flexibility required to pull off some of their huge tricks. And while I haven’t seen anything yet, I have a feeling I’ll be able to watch the luge and not sit there and think “well all that dude is doing is just laying down while flying down a mountain really fast.”
I think one of the best ways for me to push myself to greater heights in my own endeavors, be they athletic, academic, or other (such as pushing myself to the best possible beer mile time), is to watch people who are the best at what they do. Is the same true for you? Don’t watch and envy, but watch and admire. Watch and be inspired.
*this is the first in what will hopefully be daily posts for the next few weeks. I’m doing another Whole Life Challenge and the current lifestyle challenge is mindfulness, which can include journaling. I’m interpreting journaling to include something like this.
gowestyoungfam 