How often did I hear myself or others say, "That will never happen." or "I'll never do that." or "My kids will never do that." Of course, 'that' does happen and we either eat our words or conveniently forget that the statement was ever made. As a parent, I tried really hard to refrain from declaring that my children either would or would not do 'something', for it is the law of childhood that once your parents have uttered those words, it is incumbent upon the child to prove the parent(s) wrong.
Just think if an Olympic athlete thought that to him or herself? How far would that person have traveled in their quest for competitive excellence? Personal gratification ? Not too far and most definitely not standing on the medal podium. And, look at the parents behind the Olympic athletes. Not for one minute could I imagine that they thought, "My kid will never do that." Negative thinking is not allowed, I'm sure, to enter the head space of Olympic athletes or their parents.
Months ago, I listened to an interview of a book author on public radio and he was espousing the philosophy "do what you can, with what you have, where you are". This quote garnered my attention and the slip of paper on which I jotted it down has been in plain view on my desk since then. When I first heard these words, uttered in the context of the book's theme, I immediately bought into the concept. Yes, I thought to myself, accept where I am, work with what I have and do what I can. Then I began to really delve into what I believed would happen if I embraced this phrase and I realized that by adopting this philosophy, I would be accepting mediocrity and mediocrity should not be an option.....ever.
Time and time again, during post-Olympic performances, I've listened to the athletes say "It was about doing my personal best." I must say that I am feeling inspired to strive for excellence. These young (and not-so-young) people exhibit dedication and exude, at least outwardly, confidence. Not the false bravada kind of confidence that comes with ego only but the kind of confidence that is backed up by skill, training, and practice.
It will happen, it can happen, and I can make it happen. So can you!
Ancora imparo
