With the start up of the Olympics, it is easy to watch and admire all of these athletes who have dedicated their lives to achieving their dreams. These people have spent years perfecting their craft and it is all paying off as they are now getting to represent their country on the world stage.These people will get the glory that comes with putting everything you have into achieving your dreams. But what happens to the people who have dedicated their lives to their respective sports and almost made it?
No one remembers the people that almost made it to the Olympics, the people who spent just as much time, money and energy to be the best and fell short. Saying you "almost" achieved your dreams, really just means that you didn't.
This obviously doesn't only apply to Olympic caliber feats. People are achieving this level of "almost" every single day. You almost passed your test, you almost got to class on-time, you almost got everything you wanted. The common theme here is that at the end of the day, "almost" does not make it feel any better.
Almost getting something is, in many cases, even worse than not even being close. I would rather get a 12 on a test than a 64 any day of the week. The world would be a scary place if they started letting people who almost passed their road test to just start driving around. No matter how close or how far you are from the fence, after it is all said and done, you are still on the outside looking in.
The worst thing that a person can do is become content with "almost." There are only two categories, doing something or not doing something. People have created this almost category to make themselves feel better. That if you almost did something that you are somehow higher up then other people who didn't make it. If you are going to do something, then you should do it. Do it all the way. Do it so fully and completely that you do not even remember what almost feels like.
But the tricky thing about dreams is that they are selfish. They will always want more then you originally thought. Back to the Olympics analogy, pretty much every athlete's dream is to be an Olympian. You dream about it everyday and then it comes true. It is real and you made it, but then what? Now you want to compete and more importantly you want to be standing on that podium with a gold medal around your neck at the end of it all.
People always talk about that famous photo of Mckayla Maroney at the 2012 Olympics in London. After an incredible performance on the vault she walked away with a Silver Medal. Not to shabby for a 16-year-old. But the photo of her on the podium after she won the silver really sky-rocketed her to fame. Her "not impressed" expression went on to become on of the most viral photos in 2012. People found it funny that she could be disappointed with an Olympic silver medal, but how could you not? She dedicated her whole life for that very moment just to fall short. And not just fall a bit short but fall .108 short. Twisting it to say that she almost won doesn't take away the sting.
In life, you will pursue a plethora of things. Whether it be in terms of sports or your career, or you love life or just about anything, don't get lost in the "almost.. Chase everything wholeheartedly. Never do anything halfway. Almost won't make you feel any better.
