Isn't your life worth gold?

The 2012 Olympics are here. With it comes the demonstrations of our worlds finest athletes showing off in a matter of seconds, the fruit of a life-time of preparation.  As the multiple countries cheer on their champions, we are reminded through competition the commonality that borders can't erase, which is our humanity. No matter the flag that they represent, the back stories are all threaded with a common theme. Each athlete had to make the decision to wake up each day over the course of the last four years of training, and re-affirm their own exhausted nervous system that "this is worth it."

It's inspiring to us all when we watch others perform at their best. What we often forget is that their "best" performance had more to do with the multiple days in the dark where the only crowd cheering was the lone voice of self as a reminder to not give up. 

We can easily correlate hard work and self-sacrifice with athletic achievement.  However, when it comes to the "routine" measures of life, the correlation suffers to connect self-sacrifice to the value of personal achievement. Athletes, will say "No" a thousand times to the any decision that can be disruptive to the pursuit of gold, while others who compete daily in the zero sum arena of life may choose to flow like water and fall into the current of comfort and convenience.

Seek out gold with our lives, since a well-lived life is far more valuable and influential than a medal.  Each decision we make can alter our existence for the good or bad. Perhaps not for ourselves, but for for the loved ones who are counting on us. The sport of rowing is a great example of what it means to prepare, compete, and coordinate the actions of conscience. Below is a behind scenes look at the level of commitment and dependence that the Canadian rowing team had to give each day to be prepared for their next opportunity.  It is a reminder for us all that someone is counting on us today to be our best. Your life is worth gold...Win Today.

Win Today!

Victor