The summer Olympics. Every four years, athletes from around the globe come to one centralized country and compete against each other for the opportunity to make their nation proud and to be considered the greatest athlete in their sport.
This year, athletes have not only had to face typical obstacles such as, training injuries, performance injuries and mental blocks, but they have also had to worry about all of the potential risks that could come with the location of the Olympics (Rio). Zika outbreaks, overcrowding, terrorist threats and sub-par resources have created an environment in Rio in which many athletes have decided to opt-out of participating in this year's Olympics.
Despite the lower turnout of athletes, many dedicated athletes have decided that they will participate in this year's Olympic Games. Many of these individuals have decided that no matter what the risk is, they still want to accomplish their dreams of winning gold and participating in their sport for their country.
As college students, we tend to think that greatness and success will just fall into our lap. Many of us go about our college days barely scraping by. We rarely make it to class, we shoot for a D in our classes because we know that it is still considered a passing grade, we don't take the opportunities to get better in our sport or in the classroom, we fail to support or connect with someone who we know could use our friendship because we are too lazy, and the list goes on and on. In return for our efforts, we expect the world to hand us greatness and to praise us for barely getting by.
The athletes that we will see in the upcoming weeks are people who have decided that they don't want to "just get by" in life. They have dedicated their time, effort, energy, and heart towards achieving their goals and their dreams. These athletes have painstakingly practiced countless hours, have meticulously stuck to their nutrition plans, have forgone having a social life so they can be dedicated to their sport, and have spent almost every aspect of their life preparing for the day in which they will compete.
While I don't believe we as college students should go to these extremes--training Olympic amount of hours, having perfect nutrition, not having a social life, etc.--I do believe we should look to these athletes as examples of what true dedication really is. As college students, we should start setting goals in our life and start taking small steps to achieve these goals.
We also need to set our goals based upon our dreams. What do we most want to achieve in our life? What crazy and outlandish dreams do we have for our future? What have we wanted to accomplish for the longest time, but haven't had the courage to take the first step in accomplishing these dreams and/or goals? All of these questions and more can help us start recognizing, planning, and heading towards a path in which we can proudly take.
During this year's Olympics, I hope that we can all watch as these athletes put their hearts, sounds, and minds on the line to achieve their goals and dreams. I hope that we can be inspired by these individuals and recognize the dedication and pride that each of these athletes has. Most of all, I hope that we take the inspiration that we see from watching these athletes compete and use it as a stepping stone that helps us to achieve the goals and dreams that we have.
