Be a champion

What defines a champion?

A champion is someone that possesses the will to excel, has colossal strength and knows what it feels like to be invincible. Champions are in a class by themselves; only a small percentage of the world’s population will make it. They refuse to accept limits and listen to conventional wisdom.  Why? Because champions are often ordinary people like you and I who dared one day to be different; to not only exist in history but alter its course.

I have had the great pleasure, along with millions of others, of watching the 2012 Olympics live from London, England. I have watched some of the world’s best athlete’s rise and fall. The athletes have cried tears over disappointment in their performance while others have celebrated with leaps of joy over sheer amazement at breaking a world record. In fact, World Champion Olympic hurdler Lolo Jones is quoted with saying this: "I'm inspired by failure. The process of defeat – picking yourself back up again is the hardest thing in the world.”  I can imagine many Olympic athletes feel the same.

Here are the lessons I have learned from watching this year’s Olympics:

1.      Preparation is key – Training begins the 1^st day you decide to compete professionally. You have to intentionally push your body to its physical limit as well as your mind.

2.      Keep pushing – You will never know pain, until you train to be a champion. Push through it.

3.      Surround yourself – with a supportive staff that will encourage you when your performance is excellent and will help you learn the lessons when it’s mediocre at best.

Every one of you reading this post is a champion. The best part of being a champion is helping someone else recognize their ability when they cannot see it in themselves.

You will never know victory until you have tasted the agony of defeat and bouncing back from defeat qualifies you.

You are more!

Go TEAM USA!

All the best,

Tamika