So, I know I'm not the only one who's been glued to my TV screen this summer absolutely mesmerised by the sporting talent at Rio 2016 (can we talk about Simone Biles' ridiculously killer floor performance? Like, how is she capable of double back flipping that high?!) and also feeling that slight jealousy of questioning myself "What exactly am I doing with my life while my age mates are grabbing gold medals?"
It's hard to watch and not wish God gave you superhuman athletic ability to be the best on a world stage winning gold and have the whole world cheering your name and your whole country treasuring you as their national hero.
I know for me personally, I've always watched the Olympics wishing I could've been as talented as they are and have that kind of glory. But this time round, four years older and wiser I've finally realised how all of us have an Olympic athlete in us and here are five reasons why
- God has given each and every one of us a gift - We may not all be receiving a gold medal on a podium in Rio to acknowledge our talents but we're all given potential. As two-time Olympic gold medal winner, American gymnast Gabby Douglas' mother says to her before competing "You don't have anything to prove to anyone. This is your talent that you were given, so go use it". All of us have the choice to discover the talent we were given and use it in our lives to impact the world.
- You've overcome a struggle - As effortlessly as they make it look, they may seem superhuman but they are human and face downfalls like the rest of us in life. Success isn't a straight road and life's difficulties are present, Olympians just keep going. Take Team GB's golden girl, Jessica Ennis who struggled with insecurities and being bullied as a teenager or 2012 Olympic gold medal winning gymnast McKayla Maroney who struggled with depression and also competed with a broken ankle during the Olympics. Your struggle is part of the journey, it doesn't mean your less capable of reaching your dreams unless you let it stop you.
- You've made some sacrifices - For that short period of time during their competitions to receive glory, Olympians have had to sacrifice a number of things in their lives from moving away from home away from their families to train or quality time with their loved ones to go after their dreams. And faced emotional times along the way questioning if it's worth it, it's normal. Success comes at a price and just makes the taste of winning even sweeter in the end.
- You've been pushed to limits and still kept going - Whether you've had to work a full week of gruelling shifts at work, battle a health condition or endure the worst time of your life, you've fell but you got back up. You've proved you're a badass by getting back up. You've kept yourself going on this journey which already makes you a champion.
- You've faced your setbacks - At the Olympics we see the end product, what we haven't seen are the times where the athletes have had to take time out to recover when they physically couldn't go on any longer. So maybe you're at your stagnant point where you're not progressing forward, they've been there too and because they listened to their bodies, took some much needed time out and decided to make a come back when they were ready they became a success and so will you.
- There will only ever be one you - Just as there is only one Usain Bolt, there will only ever be one you. Your podium moment will come as long as you stay true to what you're uniquely talented with and stay true to who you are and believe in yourself. No one who ever tried to emulate someone else and chase after what someone else wanted to be than go after their dreams and what they were passionate about ever stood on a podium in their own glory, so embrace being you.