“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”
- Theodore Roosevelt
Some key takeouts on the Olympics:
BE YOURSELF
Love them or hate them, the French put on an unforgettable show. Gloriously somewhat offensive they leaned into their Frenchness, and power to them. It’s slightly gratifying in a world that’s gone a bit nuts on being too PC.
BE PRESENT
Another 1000 swimming careers were launched this week. Golden girl Tatjana Smith simply embodies all that is best in being South African: We celebrate her big smile, her generosity with her competitors, her joy in the achievement of others, her tenacity and grit… and her decisive decision-making, going out on top. She is the latest in an incredible line of global ambassadors in this sport, but possibly my favourite so far.
BE PROUD
Novak Djokovic is the G.O.A.T. in tennis. Winning the generational contest that was the men’s final rounded off his amazing career. Here is a guy who has often had the misfortune of being cast as the baddie due to the outsize popularity of his rivals. It was touching to see him do this last big thing, but not for himself: For his country. Draped in his national flag, his tears of joy and pride won many hearts.
BE INSPIRED
You know, both Adriaan Wildschutt and Akani Simbine would have, in any other Olympic year, been medalists. But they both happened to be in final groups that delivered such an unprecedented level of performance that their personal bests were not good enough. Wildschutt shattered the Olympic record in the 10,000m… but so did just about everyone else ahead of him. Insane. And Simbine lost out by a nanosecond to finish fourth in the first race in history for all the finalists to run under 10 seconds. Heartbreaking for sure, but isn’t it just incredible to be competing in the presence of such giants? We are the average of the five people we spend the most time with, and these men both deserve a hero’s welcome for their efforts.
BE TENACIOUS
The Blitzboks had no right to podium. We take our hats off to a decidedly unfavoured and unrated team who snatched the bronze through sheer grit and the hearts of lions. Pure unfiltered perseverance and making lemonade out of our lemons seem to be the South African theme of the day.
Most of us will never know what it is like to compete at these levels. To sacrifice, to obsess, to show up with that last ounce of effort to get you over the line when your moment comes. It’s glorious stuff, and even from the couch, we can all make a few small commitments here and now.
We can commit to being just a little bit more courageous. To giving that extra bit of effort, to live in our authenticity… and every day, to be generous, to be kind, and to be joyful in what is, and never obsess over what isn’t.
PG’s Pro Tip:
Channel your inner Olympic medalist. Commit to courage, and dig deep.
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