The Olympics start tomorrow, and I can’t wait! I am jumping out of my skin with excitement for the opening ceremony.
He said something so profound that I HAD to share it with all of you. I was inspired.
He said, “I was never afraid to lose.” He then proceeded to use a phrase that I have used to achieve more (under pressure), and he used to achieve excellence over and over again. He said, “People don’t remember if you were in 7th place, they remember when you are 1st. So, let it go. I wasn’t afraid to lose or afraid to try something different.”My AHA moment there was that I would use that same exact phrase of “No one remembers if you were last”, as a way for me to place pressure on myself to be first. Throughout my childhood I would then be terrified of being the best, because that would mean more pressure to not lose. Yet, what I translated Carl’s words to mean is to not care about losing- try new ways, be different, go for it, allow your focus to be on winning and not on making sure you don’t lose.
That is big for me to hear. In the last several years, I have been playing the game of life differently, and I couldn’t quite explain why, until Carl (yes we are on a first name basis) said what he said to Oprah.
The Olympics haven’t even started and I get teary-eyed just watching clips of Olympians standing on those pedestals receiving their medals. They awe me. These athletes have dedicated their entire lives to being the best in their sport, and invested EVERYTHING in order to perfect their talent. It is absolutely inspiring.
Too many of us are okay with mediocrity, and it tears me up inside when I see that. Too many people believe, “Why try harder when you are okay with where you are at?”. Well, I thought that I agreed with that at one point, and then something in my gut tugged at me, and tugged at me HARD. We were not given this life, every breath, the love, and the support, to live life just getting by. This is your chance to be BOLD, BE different, MAKE an impact.
I have to admit, as soon as I committed myself to MY LIFE and LOVE, everything changed. I wasn’t approaching my relationships being ALL IN. I would use reasons like “My best friend didn’t call me back” or “My husband didn’t do what I asked him to” to have one foot in and one foot out the door. There are so many ways we keep ourselves from being ALL IN with love. However, once I jumped fully into my relationships, my confidence flew through the roof. I believed in me, and I was happier. Aren’t we all just striving to be happier?
The response to my new commitment to love was unexpected. It became contagious. Anyone that was compelled to surround him or herself around me was forced to change too. That was incredible to me. With my own evolvement, everyone in my world was forced to evolve with me. I guess that’s what Gandhi meant when he said “Be the Change You Want To See In The World”, and I feel blessed to have experienced the greatness of that quote.
So, what are you waiting for? Be ALL IN with your LOVE- your parents, friends, co-workers, the bum on the street. As Carl would say, there is nothing to be afraid of.
I know that is what I strive to be, and my entire life has changed because of it.
Be an Olympian of LOVE.
Your Lovework for this week:
Watch the Olympics and get inspired to be ALL IN in your life and with love. Take a look at the ways you create reasons to not be ALL IN with your relationships. What are you afraid of? Remember to focus on what you will gain versus what you will lose. What you gain from loving is WAY worth it.
Tell me all about how the Olympics effect you, and if being ALL IN with love
resonated with you. Please leave your comments below.
In Love,
