What we can learn from the Olympics

I love the Olympics. It’s an amazing opportunity to see what the human body is capable of. Often we limit ourselves to doing what we perceive to be possible, so stopping to appreciate the amazing accomplishments of athletes from around the world can be beneficial.

We also have to remember how hard all of these athletes work to get to where they are. Their commitment towards achieving their goals and dreams is admirable. It’s the epitome of the hard work pays off idea. They’ve each spent the vast majority of their life preparing their bodies to achieve these amazing results.

What can you take away from that if you’re not trying to be the best in the world at an event? Can we let some of the success make our lives better? The Norwegian cross country skiers provide a great example of thinking differently about how we can keep improving in a positive way without just focusing on the outcome.

How does Norway dominate the Winter Olympics? By not worrying about success.

“Our system is not set up for success,” he said. “It’s more a system for joy and happiness, to have joy with your sport and first of all be healthy. And maybe that’s why we are so successful because we really enjoy what we’re doing and it’s then easy to work hard — not every day but almost every day.”

I love this message. Do what you love and enjoy the process and reaping the amazing health benefits of all of that physical activity is no longer a chore, but adds more joy and value to your life.

Chase your joy and the wins will flow.