by Eddie Pipkin
I hope you’ve had time to catch some of the Winter Olympics action from Cortina. The storylines have been compelling, and the setting is cinematic. The exploits of athletes from around the world are inspiring, and they can hold lessons for those of us who are riding our couches and would never dream of piloting a luge down an icy chute at 90 miles per hour. Focus, persistence, precision, commitment, fearlessness, teamwork, and passion are worthy goals for us all. Lindsey Vonn’s story alone is fuel for consideration for anybody who faces the ups and downs of soaring achievement, counterbalanced by bone-shattering reality.
Vonn has set the standard for downhill ski racing for decades. In fact, many of the current medal contenders cite her as someone they watched and looked up to with awe when they were young! Vonn had seemingly retired. She had won a record-setting number of races and championships. Known for throwing herself to the very edge of what was possible every time she competed, she had experienced several dramatic crashes over the course of her career. One knee had been replaced, and no other winter athlete had ever come back to compete at a world class level after such an injury. But she did. Preparing for the Olympics, she ruptured the ACL in her other knee, but still she insisted she would give a medal run a shot. Sadly, 13 seconds into her attempt, she clipped a gate, tumbled end over end through the snow, and was transported off the hill by helicopter with a broken leg.
She had tried. She had failed spectacularly. But she had given it her all.
Those who know her say she had no other choice; it’s just how she is wired as a competitor. I read one account that described it this way: “She was resilient to the point of defiance.”
I love that phrase, “Resilient to the point of defiance.”
For those of you who keep getting back up and trying again, I salute you. Your courage and hope are Olympic in scale. Maybe other people frame your determination differently, accusing you of being too stubborn to know when to throw in the towel, but great things are accomplished by those who never say never and those who never say die.
We can function at this level when we have a clear-eyed understanding of the possibility of failure, when we know that some things we attempt will crash and burn. By putting in the work to try and try again – and putting in the work with enthusiasm and focus is the important part – we will achieve many things. We may not always hit the heights of which we dream, and we may sometimes succeed in ways that were not on our radar when we started out, but we will do things worthy of the time and effort we invest if we keep on making those investments.
Those who give up too easily will never reap those rewards. Those who fold in the face of adversity will never know the sweet bounty of persistence. Those who are afraid to take risks because they are consumed with a fear of failure may stay safe; they may remain secure in their small, comfortable, controllable spaces; but they will never know the greater thrill of pushing beyond the apparent limits to something more grand and satisfying.
An athlete like Lindsey Vonn does not chart such a course by accident. Her myth has been built on a dedication to moving forward and discovering her limits (sometimes pushing beyond them):
- She puts in the work. Not a lazy bone in her body. She does the hard stuff and then she does it again.
- She learns from the best. She studies her craft. She takes advantage of technology. She honors her competitors and seeks the wisdom they offer.
- She is realistic in her expectations. She’s not chasing rainbows and unicorns; she is taking a clear-eyed look at what’s possible – however unlikely – and pursuing those possibilities with an acknowledgment that she may come up short (though it will never be from a lack of effort or commitment).
- She surrounds herself with an excellent team. No one, no matter how talented or how focused, can achieve great things on their own. Everyone needs a team to support them, to lift them up during the hard times, to apply needed expertise and accountability, and to share the load.
- She is grateful for what she has achieved, not spiteful for what she hasn’t. Striving for more, for bigger and better, does not mean dissatisfaction with what has already been accomplished. An appreciation and respect for what has come before – even the achievement and success of others – is the foundation for a healthy pursuit of loftier goals.
If you want to be like Vonn or like any of those other Olympic athletes who will be standing on the winners’ podium in the next couple of weeks, these are the principles to embrace.
Have you been holding back? Is there something you’d really like to go for that seems too daunting? Do you feel too old to go for it? Too young? Too untalented? Too unimportant?
You’re not!
Put it all out there on the line. Believe in yourself. Pray hard and work harder! Great moments lie ahead, and even in the struggles, much can be achieved, and great lessons can be learned.
