Female Olympians Teach Us 10 Important Lessons

Your body is a very capable machine. It can do amazing feats, leaps, dives, vaults, lifts, and hurdles. I hope you marveled at these athletic displays for the last two weeks watching Olympic athletes pursue gold.

 

However, did you see what I saw? I saw winners rise from the poorest countries (Shelly-Ann Fraser Price), winners rise from disabled athletes choosing to compete with able-bodied athletes (Oscar Pistorious), and winners rise from women who didn’t win gold individually but chose to set that disappointment aside and to do so as a team (Jordyn Wieber).

Going for gold in the Olympics is like going for your dreams or starting over in midlife. You get psyched then depressed. You reach a new summit and have to dig deeper into your reserves to press on. Here’s what you can learn from Olympians.

10 Olympic Takeaways

1. Olympians Understand Mastery. They’ve put in more than their 10,000 hours to master a skill. Pick your sport, hobby, language or skill you want to master and start doing your time.
2. Olympians Recognize It’s a Privilege. Even though they’ve earned the right to compete, they know it’s a privilege to be among the World’s greats. Are you demonstrating an attitude of gratitude? Do you rise grateful that you have a job to go to? Shoes to wear? Food in the fridge? An able body to take you as far as you dare go?
3. A Bigger Cause Drives Them. Yes they want to win, but more than anything they want to win for their country. One of the affirmations I say often is, “All I need shows up to support my work.” Meaning this blog is meant to serve a greater good by uplifting a large audience of midlifers. It’s a bigger cause I’m 100% behind. What cause are you behind?
4. Their Results Haven’t Always Been Stellar. I loved Michael Phelps’ interview with 60 minutes about his prior Olympic performance where he came in eighth in one heat. He said, “I didn’t put the work in so I got the results I deserved.” It’s sometimes good to reflect back that people on top haven’t always been on top. They know when their lapsing, pressing, and when they deserve gold or don’t.
5.  They’ve Tapped Their God-Given Talents. Each athlete was born with something special. You are born with something special. Leverage it.
6. They Depend on Coaches and Mentors. Midlife is an easy time to stop setting goals, get foggy headed, or lose the will to charge toward the finish line. There are so many great coaches, counselors, and even free services for women to receive guidance at such as your areas Women’s Foundation, church, community college, writer’s groups, and community centers. I’ve met great inspirational coaches through social media such as Marie Forleo and Cathy Dean. Check out their sites and let me know if you need more recommendations.
7.  They Treat Their Body like Gold. Don’t get “ab” envy watching these mostly twenty somethings who workout eight hours a day. Just a few hours a week with a personal trainer can truly transform your body. I know I had to turn to one after a winter of nachos and beer on the coach. Treat your body better. You can mistreat it but you’ll pay.
8.  Some Cheat. Nadzeya Ostapchuk of Belarius, the female shotputter lost her gold medal after testing positive for doping. Testing the boundaries is good. Breaking the law is not. Period.
9. Some Fail. They fall off beams, knock over hurdles, miss goals, double fault and sometimes just plain choke. The difference is they jump back up instead of wallowing in despair.
10. They’re Human.  Despite what appears to be super-human abilities, Olympians are mere mortals. They’ve maximized what they have through dedication, practice, and tenacity.  You too are unlimited. You are powerful beyond measure. You are only human but super capable of transforming yourself into a master of any field or thing you choose.

Tell me what your takeaway from the Olympics was? Who inspired you the most? What are you going to master in midlife? What do you have planned for you midlife transformation?

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Tags: reinvention

Category: Health & Happiness