Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you will know that the Olympic Games are on. So, have you ever wondered what makes a winner? Is there some special ingredient that people who get to the Olympics take? (And I’m not talking drugs!) While I understand that the whole point of the games is to win gold, to me, every single athlete that has and will participate is amazing and a winner.
I mean, I know that I don’t have what it takes to be an Olympic Athlete, I don’t have that drive and determination that they do, to get up every morning and go train and train again in the afternoon while doing school or work.
Even if someone doesn’t win a medal at the Olympics, in my eyes they are still what makes a winner, they are there, representing their country, which means that they are the best in their country, the BEST! To then compete against the best athlete that every other country has is just bloody awesome! The blood sweat and tears that they have shed and yet, still remained focused is what makes a winner, imagine being able to say that you were IN the Olympics?
I hate it how the media seem to focus on one individual, in Australia it was Kyle who won gold in the mends 100m – he was amazing, there is no doubt about that, but I don’t understand what makes him so much more important or newsworthy than all the other Australian gold medalists, or any of the other medalists either, every single one of them has given their all to be there, sacrificed so much to be able to represent their country, no one athlete should be thought of as better than the others.
And let’s not forget the unsung heroes of the games, the parents and grandparents and those who get up early and take the kids to their training before and after school, who give them those pep talks and support their child in their dreams.
Just remember though, that you don’t have to win a gold medal at the Olympics to be a winner. If you set yourself a goal and you make it – then you’re a winner. If you suffer depression and you got out of bed this morning to face another day, you’re a winner.
What makes a winner in my eyes is someone who succeeds, regardless of how small that success may be, they have a victory, whether it’s finally knowing how to spell that word, studying and passing to achieve your dream job, to get that dream job, to be able to buy your car, to raise your children to be independent, self-sufficient adults as a single parent, to get yourself out of a domestic violence situation, to do your best to stay positive when all you want to do is stay in bed all day. That’s what makes a winner.
You are all winners in your own special way, don’t ever forget that, don’t compare yourself with what others are doing, this is your own personal race and as long as you are working on being a better person that you were yesterday, then you’re a winner. By waking up and facing another day, you are what makes a winner.
Congratulations all of you. You’re all bloody awesome.