We are all olympians - part 2

I'm having a wonderful Olympic experience. I admit that I’m avoiding the crowds in the downtown core, but I’ve attended some terrific events including the men’s moguls, where I saw Alex Bilodeau, the first Canadian ever to win a gold medal on home turf, and men’s figure skating, where I had front row seats to see Evan Lysacek blow us away with his stunning grace and strength. I even shook his hand and congratulated him just minutes after he received his medal!

I'm aware, however, that the Olympics aren’t fun for everyone. I know more than one person who spent a good part of her youth training as an elite athlete, who is now thinking “that should be me competing for a medal…if only I hadn’t become depressed…if only I hadn’t had an eating disorder…if only my parents treated me differently… if only I weren’t me…”

Such regrets hold us back from achieving our true potential. I think it’s essential to accept that our lives unfold as they’re supposed to – if things could happen any other way, they would. The vast majority of us are not destined to be Olympic athletes, but that doesn’t mean we can’t or won’t be great at something else. And who defines greatness anyway? One of the greatest men I know is my father, who has never won an award or been on television, but he represents a standard of kindness, generosity, and patience that few could ever match. He is a hero in my eyes, and believe me, he’s not perfect either.

Define yourself and your life by who you are and how you act towards yourself and others, not the awards you’ve amassed or the possessions you’ve acquired. We are all capable of feats of heroism every day.