True Colors

The Winter Olympic games ended in an blaze of speed and excitement as the USA played Canada in the Ice Hockey Final Medals game.

By now you know who won the much-anticipated game between the two North American teams. Amazingly, with only 24 seconds in regulation, the USA tied the medal game. It was exhilarating. But IN OVERTIME, the Canadians slipped a puck past the USA goalie to take the gold medal.

In fact, it was just as exhilarating to watch the USA 4-man bobsledding team bring home a gold for the first time in over 60 years as it was to watch any number of athletes win multiple medals or add to their previous Olympic medal count—such as Bode Miller, Apolo Ono, and Chad Hedrick.

Of course there were also stories from these Olympic games that resulted in incredible disappointment for certain athletes.

Did you hear about the alternate speed skater who received a call to compete, but his phone was turned off and didn’t make it to the track in time?

Or did you hear about the Dutch Speed skating coach, Gerard Kempker, who prompted his skater, Sven Kramer to make a split second decision to change lanes near the end of a 10K race? Kramer, like most athletes, was confused by the direction, yet followed his coach’s instruction. Instead of winning his second gold medal of the games, he was disqualified.

Or how about the Canadian figure skater, Joannie Rochette, who was about to take the ice for the “competition of her lifetime” when she got a call that her mother had unexpectedly died of a heart attack? She amazed the watching world with her ability to not only skate with composure, but with enough precision to win the bronze medal for her country. At the request of her nation she was chosen to carry the Canadian flag in the closing ceremonies.

After two weeks of Olympic competition, if you are like me, not a day has not gone by when I haven’t been challenged by the courage and dedication of these world-class athletes. But they have also proven that all the preparation in the world doesn’t guarantee an athlete a gold medal. Injury, uncooperative weather, a bad break, or a life-altering situation unrelated to their competition could cause them not only to miss their goal, but even their race.

This afternoon, as the hockey game came to a close, I was challenged by an NBC Sports analyst who said, “An athlete’s true colors are seen, not when things are great, but when things are tough.”

Perhaps you or someone you love faces an illness, a job loss, or a huge disappointment? A little change in attitude, gratitude, or direction can spur you onto new heights and help you achieve different, if not big results.

How? Take a deep breath and start over. Today is the day to tackle the same obstacle with new resolve and overcome it.

The Olympic games and its cast of competitors remind us all that we will face unexpected setbacks and enjoy occasional victories. Our true colors—who we are—will be most visible to others and ourselves when things are tough, not when things are great.

Be encouraged,

Becky