Along with millions of others all over the world, I’ve been watching many of the Olympic events — totally amazing. The gymnasts! The swimmers! The divers!! The runners! It’s always so inspiring to me to see these amazing athletes demonstrating their prowess and seeing their commitment to peak performance.
No matter what their background or where they’ve trained, to reach this level of skill and excellence, they all share three characteristics: dedication, discipline, and determination:
Dedication: It takes an amazing level of commitment to devote years and years of training to honing your skills, your timing, and your ability to pace yourself. Athletes who compete in the Olympics are committed to the long game—they know what it takes to succeed and they are willing to invest their time, energy, and talent. As writers, can we bring that same level of commitment to the page? Yes, we can!
Discipline: Just think of the discipline these athletes have shown. All of them began their Olympic journey as kids. They had to give up a lot of play dates to attend practices and meets. They had to get up early and train when they would rather have slept in. They had to learn to manage their time and their energy. They had to work out and compete even when they didn’t feel like it—and give their best. They had to give up many distractions that the rest of us indulge in. As writers, can we bring this same level of discipline to our writing? Yes, we can!
Determination: Every Olympian who stands on that podium and receives a medal is living proof that determination and grit really matter. They’ve endured injuries that would have stopped most of us in our tracks. They’ve experienced failures and disappointments. Many of them had to train and compete in the face of difficult circumstances. They had tough obstacles to overcome. Yet, they remained focused on their goal with unwavering faith. As writers, can we bring this same level of focus and grit our work? Yes, we can!
Watching the Olympics always reminds me that creativity and drive and grit are limitless—they can’t really be measured. The heart of a champion is a precious, unfathomable place—that’s where it all begins. Let’s be champions today as we all write on!
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