Ah, the Olympic Games. The tradition. The pomp and pageantry. The blood, sweat, and tears. The heart-rending superhero style back stories. The triumphs, the failures. The near misses and oh-so-close victories.
The politics.
The elimination of worthy competitions, and additions of truly useless “sports”.
The idiotic rules and decisions handed down by the Committee itself.
While I would love to go on about these last few topics, I’ll refrain from going into a despair inspired rant and risk pissing most of you off to no end.
We shall, however, focus on the true nature of the games.
The competitions.
While I normally don’t take time out of my schedule to watch the games, I had some time to myself and decided to enjoy a little leisurely TV viewing.
I watched the men’s and women’s Rugby, the swimming and diving, men’s and women’s gymnastics, table tennis, and the what? Skateboarding? Ahwell, that was six minutes I’ll never get back. I watched a 14-year-old girl do one rail grind and the color announcers bloviated ad nauseum about it. Ugh.
In every Olympic Games, there are athletes, and then there are ATHLETES.
One 4 second sprint, one dive, one pommel horse routine, one floor tumble, could mean the greatest achievement of your life or you’re packing your suitcase and crying your way to the plane ride home.
What I saw this year could be summed up in one word – DRIVEN.
These athletes are driven, focused, determined.
They have gone to countless team practices, made thousands of attempts at some new technique or new move in a playbook. They have practiced and played through injuries. They have missed funerals and birthdays.
For some of these athletes, they have trained beyond human capacity, they have had every meal measured by weight or volume and tailored to their specific needs or chosen for its maximum nutritional content. Some of the younger female competitors have only two or three periods per year and haven’t yet started any breast development due to their intense physical training. Many younger athletes have never dated. Partially because no one would stick by them while they spend countless hours on the track or in the gym or on the field. Partially because being romantically involved with someone might take their eyes off the goal.
These fine athletes have given up the idea of a normal life so they can have an exceptional life. It reminds me of When Dave Ramsey would say,
“Live like no one else, so you can live like no one else.”
I saw numerous athletes wearing KT Tape, sporting cupping marks, or showing bandages on their various joints. They compete, despite their laundry list of prior injuries. They have coaches, physical therapists, dietitians, performance coaches, dedicated massage therapists, managers, and more. They train until they are exhausted, and then train some more.
While some folks go to the gym three days a week for an hour, these champions train two or three times per day, six days a week.
The Navy Seals say,
“The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat.”
They sweat, they bleed, they cry, they suffer, they endure.
They give up a normal life so they can be the best of the best of the very best, to compete at the highest level at the top of their field.
Most of the younger competitors have asked their parents to give up a lot as well. They hardly see their children the entire time they are growing up. The kids know the coaches more than the parents. The kids are at camps, workshops, seminars, training, practices, and more.
These athletes have given up everything to achieve everything.
Driven, focused.
Nothing else matters. Their eyes never leave to prize. They give up all parts of their lives that do not assist in reaching their goal.
Remember in Rocky IV when Rocky went to Russia to fight Drago? He spent a month in a cabin, training with rocks, wagons, climbing mountains, and running in snow. By the end of the month, the look in his eyes let you know he only cared about one thing – THE FIGHT.
That was one month. Imagine training like that for 15-30 YEARS. Driven, focused. Giving up everything. NO parties, no pizza, no cookies. Give it all up.
In some small way, each of us must also give up something to achieve something.
We give up free time for work. We give up leisure for advancement. We give up family time for career. Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
There’s an old saying about how no man on his death bed ever says he wishes he had spent more time at work.
What could we give up to become better at something else?
Could we give up TV? Could we give up our addiction to thumb scrolling our handheld dopamine machines (mobile phones)? Could we give up drinking beer in the garage all weekend?
What could you give up in order to be better?
Better at anything?
Just give up.
Weeg
Joe “Weeg” Weigant is a Board-Certified Massage Therapist, Holistic Health Authority, Reiki Master Teacher, Herbalist, Metaphysician, and Empowerment Coach. He combines bodywork, energy work, and coaching to improve quality of life by healing from the outside in and from the inside out.
Weeg sells Nature’s Sunshine Products, Pure Herbs Ltd., doTERRA, and Juice Plus+. Weeg suggests lifestyle changes and provides herbal remedies to his clients so they may build new habits for long life and vibrant health. He teaches Karate and Tai Chi, Reiki Certification, as well as seminars and workshops in metaphysical and spiritual matters. Weeg is available for sessions at Tri State Holistic Wellness by appointment only.
Contact by text 812.568.5356, or Facebook Messenger to set an appointment.
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