I think this next blog is fitting considering the Olympics just recently came to a close. What is the ONE thing EVERY single one of the Olympians have in common? They have all showed up PREPARED! They have prepared themselves, typically their whole lives for the greatness of the Olympic Games! They are a very select group of individuals who have FAR surpassed all of their peers in becoming the best at whatever sport they compete in! For instance look at Micheal Phelps. He is now considered to be the greatest Olympian of ALL TIME! He has won 22 medals, 18 Gold and 4 Silver. He prepared himself his entire life to be the greatest swimmer of all time! He not only became the greatest swimmer, he also became the greatest Olympian of all time! Now when I talk about Olympians I brought up Micheal Phelps, there are many other Olympians who have made their stake in the world as the best. Such as Usain Bolt or Gabrielle "Gabby" Douglas, I say these names and they immediately ring true as the best. What about those who didn't quite win the gold medal? Should they be left out? I don't think so. Look at Oscar Pistorius, a man born with a debilitating disease which left him without legs at 11 months months old! He would not accept anything less than being in the actual Olympics, he did not want to compete in the Paralympics he wanted to compete against people who had NO disabilities, not only did he compete, he made it to the semi-final round! To me he has won a gold medal just for being able to compete in the Olympics! He made it to the GREATEST stage on earth! Or what about Lori "LoLo" Jones? This young woman was the world champion in the 100m hurdles! Won gold twice in this event but unfortunately fell short both of her Olympic appearances. She got a lot of slack from the media, especially from the New York Times, claiming she was over rated and a lot of other bull they decided to shovel. In my opinion Lolo Jones is an over comer. Just look at her background! She has an amazing story! She prepared herself for greatness and made it! She has SO much to be proud of and she shouldn't have ANYONE disrespect the things she has accomplished and what she is going to accomplish! She also got a lot of slack for the fact that she is a virgin. I myself am a virgin and understand those struggles! It's not easy and it's not fun! It's so unbelievable to see people actually stand up against the status quo! So many people cave into peer pressure and don't stand up for what they believe and it's a breath of fresh air to see someone go against the grain in such a large way! Looking back at these Olympic games Oscar Pistorius and Lolo Jones are the two individuals who impacted me the most! I have an extremely high level of respect for the 2 of them! But how do these Olympic stories relate to you and I on an everyday level? We need to be preparing ourselves for the greatness God has placed within us!
Preparation is the key to our success as individuals. We have to begin to prepare ourselves for many things that God wants us to do. One of the keys to preparation is having the patience to stay on course! Becoming the best we can be does not happen overnight. It's not this magical potion you can take or this specific quick route, it takes hard work, determination, motivation and courage to get where you want to go! That's something we can learn from all of these Olympians! Now not everyone's path is going to be the same to get to greatness, you have to discover your own path, you have to figure out where your motivation comes from, or where your going to find the courage you need to succeed! However I can say one thing is for sure, preparation is the key, preparing yourself for greatness plays a huge role in becoming great! If your not prepared you will fail at any of your goals and aspirations.
