All That Glitters…
In 8th grade, I participated in a community track and field day and earned a third-place medal. When I came home that day, I taped the bronze medal and ribbon to a piece of paper and wrote “Third Place Ain’t Bad”. All these years later, I still have that medal in a box somewhere. That simple disk of metal serves as a reminder of a special moment in my life. Someday, my kids will find it and wonder what it is. They won’t have the memories of what it represents. I suspect they will smile, wonder about it, but eventually toss it in the trash. At some point, it will lose all its significance.
The last couple of days, the world has focused on Simone Biles. This incredible woman is the greatest of all time in women’s gymnastics by multiple standards. The sheer number of medals she has earned eclipses just about anyone else’s collection. While those accomplishments are incredible, they are truly insignificant to what Simone represents as a human being. Throughout her relatively short life so far, she has shown us how to live our lives with grace, balance, and purpose in the face of adversity and hardship. In many ways, her decisions this week will have a far greater impact on the lives of others than all the gold in the world.
Simone’s exemplary story reveals to us that the most important things in this world are not measured by the number of awards, trophies, and medals we may attain over our lives. Striving for excellence is not a negative goal; however, momentary glory will fade. What if, instead, we focus on how to use our talents and abilities to impact the lives of those around us in meaningful and joyful ways? What if we choose to promote a healthy balance in our physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual lives so that we can live more abundantly and be more present in our relationships.
Most of us will never know the experience of being an Olympian. Celebrating outstanding achievement is an honorable endeavor. However, let’s never lose sight that our worth and value as human beings is not determined by being stronger, faster, or smarter. It’s by being our authentic selves daily in all our endeavors and interactions, contributing to the greater good of those around us.