How to Succeed

Watching the world’s top athletes compete in events like the Olympics can be very inspiring.

It can also be demoralizing. 

There are only a few spots for any American Olympic team when it comes to individual competition. Usually, its 3 and sometimes just 2. 

So think about the astronomical odds against someone who wants one of those spots. Then imagine the amount of work that has to go into it, and also some of the luck involved.

When I say luck, I mean that at any time anyone can have a strange accident, an odd step that causes a twisted ankle or catching a cold at the wrong time. Those everyday life occurrences can kill a dream.

Then, after all of that, an athlete might be in a race in which less than a half of a second can separate the winner from the person who finishes 4^th and off of the medal podium.

Skiing is one of those sports and Mikaela Shiffrin, the defending gold medalist in the Women’s Slalom finished in 4^th place this year. 

Fortunately she won gold in the Super G, the day before, an event in which she wasn’t necessarily favored to win. 

Here is someone who has been training her entire life for these moments. She went to Burke Mountain Academy in Vail essentially to be on the skiing team there. Watching her bio and her training methods and her work ethic could make someone frustrated in their own efforts at what they do in life to succeed. 

Then, to just come up short and in 4^th place. 3^rd would have been good since at least a medal comes home in that event. That could crush someone who is mentally unprepared for it although few who reach that level lack the emotional strength to contend with that potential misfortune.

I am someone who is awestruck at this. It helps inspire me, even at my advanced age. It does so because I see where I have succeeded at certain things and failed at others. An honest appraisal of my failures reveals that I didn’t work hard enough to reach a particular goal. I rested when others were working harder than, I made excuses when others didn’t. 

When I did succeed at certain things, I was engaged, focused, and entrenched. There are no short cuts. When I created a company from scratch I not only worked beyond full time, I had to work a full-time job at the same time. It was balls to the wall. 

I heard a couple of interviews with members of the bands Led Zeppelin and Lynard Skynard. Both interviews had parts which mentioned how much time was spent practicing, writing, and doing that over and over and over again to create what would become legendary rock music. We hear about a culture in which people live who do these things. It is a completely different way of life that can only be experienced to be fully understood.

That is what it takes to reach very lofty goals. 

After all of that, then they have to hope not to stub a toe before a race or break a finger in a closed door to keep one from playing the guitar, or just get the flu at the wrong time.

Bachelor fans take note that again I have successfully selected the final four in this season. If only that was a skill that could pay off! I am now not as confident with my selection for winner (Bekah K) but have to stick with it.

I am a bit behind in Celebrity Big Brother but did get to witness Kesha Knight-Pulliam get the boot she wanted from the show. Good. She was on my nerves. Not as much as Omarosa though, but that eviction night was a win-win for this fan of the show.

To close it should be clear that any shortcomings I have in reaching any of my current goals is because of my Bachelor and Big Brother viewing habit. 

Done.