During the past few days we have been riveted to the television as we haven’t wanted to miss any of the 2010 Winter Olympics being held in Vancouver.  I can honestly say that I have felt such a great sense of pride as a Canadian.

Proud of the welcoming committees, established so athletes from competing countries would feel our hospitality right from the start, to the outstanding opening ceremonies which included such reverence shown  for Nodar Kumaritashvili, the Georgian athlete who suffered a fatal accident,  to the camaraderie displayed between the representatives from  across this country and around the world.

But beyond that sense of pride what motivates me to rush to watch the Olympic coverage is this overwhelming sense of inspiration.

Olympic Dreams and Goals

Whether you are a sports fanatic, a casual fan or have little interest in sports it’s hard not to be touched by the infectious sense of excitement that is all over the world media.  For me these games represent so much more than the sports the athletes compete in. As a matter of fact I would argue that for many, the sport is the least important part of this journey.

As I listen to the stories of some of the athletes it is humbling to realize what so many of them have endured to be here. For some it has been physical challenges, recovering from serious injuries and operations followed by grueling hours of physiotherapy just to get them ready to start even more grueling hours of training.

For others it has been the emotional challenges of persevering while surviving a family crisis or just learning how to cope with extreme disappointment when one small mistake led to having to wait 4 more years just to see if you’d even have the chance to compete again.  Yet, the message remains the same.  Everything in life comes at some price.

In all our seminars at Klemmer and Associates, starting with Personal Mastery, we explore the concept of prices and benefits. Whether they are hidden prices or obvious ones, we will pay some price to reach our goals. The question we each get to ask ourselves is “am I willing to pay the price to get what I want?”

So personally, the Olympics  have created the space for me to reflect on what’s important  and ask myself if I’m really willing to pay the prices to go for what I want or am I just fooling myself.  Mmmmm….

Something to contemplate while watching the Canada-USA  hockey game!

Sona Van Der Hoop

Personal Mastery Facilitator