155. Aim High
I’ve been thinking a lot about Olympians lately. Go figure.
I’ve been wondering which of them really wanted to be Olympians while they were growing up. As opposed to, say, their parents wanting them to be Olympians and pushing them further than they would’ve gone on their own.
That’s what I’d like to know - which of the athletes’ parents and coaches pushed them beyond their limits. And how have those parental relationships become strained on the long road to realizing the Olympic dreams?
There’s a fuzzy spectrum that exists. On one side are firm parental lessons on perseverance. The other end of the spectrum is plain old emotional abuse of a child.
“I know you’re having a bad day, but you’re going to get out there and you’re going to practice anyway. Now get up and go.”
Is it a positive message or a negative one? Is it a lesson or abuse?
Maybe the perception of the message depends on the recipient. For some it lifts them up, for others, it beats them down.
And that’s kind of why I want to know who was encouraged to follow their dreams and who was forced to follow somebody else’s.
Lofty Goals
I have a ton of admiration for those that dreamed of being an Olympian and then made it happen. It’s not like Olympic athletes have decades of maturity to formulate life goals. Almost all of them are in their teens or twenties.
When I was in my teens I hadn’t even begun to try and get my shit together. Be an Olympic athlete? Hell, it seemed like an Olympic feat to just get girls to like me.
But now, with a few extra years under my belt, I fully realize the importance of making lofty goals and struggling to achieve them. I understand the importance of knowing who you are, recognizing your strengths, and setting your sights on something that seems just out of your reach.
It was Michelangelo who said:
“The greater danger for most of us lies not in setting our aim too high and falling short; but in setting our aim too low, and achieving our mark."
Have you set a lofty goal for the next five years?
I have.