Hey, you. Yes, you. Guess what? I see you.
I can see you looking up at your television. I see the awe and slight disgruntled news on your face. It’s as clear as day. I can see you as you look up at Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Gabby Douglas, Simone Manuel, etc. I see the look on your face. You’re amazed that people so young could be so incredibly successful. And you wonder, “Wow, what am I even doing with my life?” You think, “These people are my age, maybe even younger than me, are already so successful and have their lives together. What about me?”
Well, guess what – stop comparing yourself. I remember my first time watching the Olympics. I watched the gymnasts tumble and fly and remember thinking to myself, “Wow, I want to be like them one day.” And soon afterward, I realized I never would be. And that sucked. I craved that success, and I grew impatient as years past that I was never able to reach what I thought was the top of my potential in the fields I was involved in. After some time, I finally realized the fundamental difference between myself and the athletes I watched on my TV: Olympic athletes have undergone serious and intense training for their entire lives that those on the outside could not possibly imagine. It’s unfair to try to measure yourself up to someone who has literally been training for an event like The Olympics since the moment they were born. The rest of us, on the other hand, should be doing what? How could we possibly even try to live up to that?
I’ll tell you how. We should be doing our best in what we do. Are you a student? Then be your best student. Are you working a minimum wage job? Guess what? Take pride in your work and work hard. Are you a budding lawyer? Doctor? Teacher? The answer is still the same.
Yes, maybe Olympians will be more famous and collect more prestige for their work. But remember – the Olympics is literally the most famous international event of all time. So, again, it’s unfair to compare yourself.
Yes, maybe Olympians are reaching amazing levels of success at a young age. But they’ve been training for this since virtually the moment they were born.
But you should be proud of yourself for sticking with what you’re doing. Keep at that, and take pride in your work. That’s the path to true success.
