“You have to learn the rules of the game. And then you have to play better than anyone else.” Albert Einstein
Olympics Inspiration: Flying Higher…
The 2012 Summer Olympics in London started on a high note. I knew we would be in for an exhilarating ride when the Queen, with my favorite James Bond in tow, jumped out of a helicopter into the Olympic stadium. wink. wink! It was hysterical and Her Majesty’s serene indifference when the camera panned left to show her already in her seat was priceless… But I digress. The Olympics showcased the best athletes competing for a finite number of medals, and offering the rest of us tons of inspirational teachings and lessons about life, success, sportsmanship, failure, gumption, courage, grace, marketing chops, social media savvy and ….. fill in the blank.
Highlights: Opening Ceremony. Daniel Craig as James Bond and Her Majesty leaping out of a helicopter. Manteo Mitchell running the 4×400 relay preliminaries on a broken leg.
“If you want to reach a goal, you must ‘see the reaching’ in your own mind before you actually arrive at your goal.” Zig Ziglar
Olympics Inspiration: Flying Higher… Gabby Douglas (credit Josh Haner/The New York Times)
Olympics Inspiration: Flying Higher…Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Laszlo Cseh
I don’t know about you, but the Olympics made me re-evaluate my personal goals and reach higher for something more. It put a sprint in my step in the gym and on my aqueduct walks, and my patience quotient increased a tad more. When things got a bit complicated in my efforts to move forward with my plans, I harked back to Gabby Douglas‘ favorite line “I was just like, Believe, don’t fear, believe.” Remembering Gabby’s individual all-around event gold win or Michael Phelp’s final race for Gold gave me courage; suddenly, I could see myself flying just as high or higher.
Gabby’s grace under pressure, her ready smile, easy going and prayerful spirit sold me on her. She worked hard for her win and inspired many little girls of color who might one day take up that sport. She inspired me too and even her haters soon moved on. Shoot, they all inspired me; Pistorius, Bolt, Phelps, Lolo, Missy, Ryan, Allyson, Sanya, all the teams.
Highlights: Gabby Douglas’ Individual and the Fierce Five/Team Gold wins. Michael Phelps final swim adding to a total of 22 medals, 18 of them gold. Oscar Pistorius inspiring effort and prosthetics. Lolo Jones’ sincere response to the painful article about her marketing hype.
“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.” Michelangelo
Olympics Inspiration: Flying Higher… Usain Bolt
Olympics Inspiration: Flying Higher… Oscar Pistorius
Yes, there was plenty to make us believe at these Olympics: If I needed a quick lift, I could login to Twitter check out the trending topics, hashtags and tweets, and then head to NBC or YouTube for the full video. I hate surprises so even though there were several world record breaking surprises from the athletes, this Olympics was a dream for me. Why? In the USA, we got the results first, then videos next… Snap! I didn’t have to sweat through the Women’s 100 meter race to see Shelly-Ann win or the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Final to see Carmelita Jeter bring home Gold and a 40.82 sec world record. I knew it before watching.
Ditto all those mind-blowing Usain Bolt races which I watched multiple times on auto rewind. Having constant, even immediate access through Twitter, YouTube uploads and NBC to events, results, pictures, and even the occasional cat fight or “Bolting” group shots, made us feel fully plugged in wherever we were.
Highlights: Usain Bolt’s legendary wins and trademark pose. Jessica Ennis winning the heptathlon and Mo Farah the 10,000 meters for GB. Missy Franklin going for Gold. Kirani James first gold for Grenada. Carmelita and the team of US Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Final. More below!
