4 Things I Learned From The Olympics

I love when the summer Olympics come around every four years.  I love the sports, the stories, but more importantly, I love to have the excuse to have a sporting event on in our house all day.  It is almost as good as March Madness.  It never fails where we are treated to some amazing feats and just being able to see the best in the world put all their training to those couple of minutes or in some cases a couple of seconds of glory.  This year has been no different.  There are a few things that have really stood out to me on things we can apply to our families and our leadership.

 

Dedication to getting better

Look at any athlete participating in the games this year.  Each one of them has a story, of how they made it there.  Things they had to give up in order to achieve their goal of making the games.  They all start with a vision of what they can be and then set the goals needed to make that vision a reality.  Dedication to our families is the same.  Take an Olympian in track and field for example.  There are things they have to give up for the greater vision.  The hours of training to compete not against others but against a clock.  Getting better each day and making progress not against the person in the other lane but against the clock, against who they were before.  Because if they beat that clock they will beat everyone else there.  The real dedication is to better themselves and their time.  If they can beat the clock they will find themselves on the top of the podium.  

 

Respect

One thing that always amazes me is the respect the athletes have for one and other.  There is so much on the line for each one of them but as they compete against one another they still respect each other.  I think this has a lot to do with the fact that each athlete knows how much work it takes to make the team.  They know how hard they have had to work and the dedication they have to have to the sport to be the best they can be.  The person they see as the competition has also put in that time and dedication as well.  That respect is there because they respect the journey each person competing has made to get to Rio.

Think about a world where we all have respect like this.  As leaders of a family as we see other family leaders out there take the time to look at them in a different light and have respect for the journey they are on.  If anyone should know how hard parenting is it is the person in the mirror.  I will be the first to admit I am far from a perfect person, leader, and parent.  I know how hard I try to the best I can in these areas so I know how hard it is for others.  As parent leaders, we all want the same thing, success in our families.  The next time we are quick to judge other parents take a step back and respect what they are trying to do.  Maybe it is not the way we would handle a situation but respect what they who they are and what they are trying to accomplish as a leader of their own family.

 

Try New Things

Handball, who knew?  After this year’s games, I might have a new favorite sport.  I have to admit that I still don’t fully understand it but it looks like something you and brother or sister would make up to play in the basement when you can go outside.  People running around and jumping all over the place trying to throw a ball in a net.  If this is not a basement sport I don’t know what is.

Don’t be afraid to try new things to expose yourself and family to new things.  Let’s be honest not all of them are going to be home runs that work out.  Some we are going to enjoy and some we learn enough to try once.  One of the greatest gifts we can give our children is perspective.  Perspective comes in trying, and learning new things to gain a better understanding of the world around us.  Seriously, go check out handball!

Live your Passion

This is the slogan of this year’s games.  In our families, I love the thought of living for our passion in our families.  I hope you have a passion for the calling you have in your family.  If you don’t I will let you in on a little secret on how to find that passion.  Serve your family.  As you see your service and how it helps not only those you serve but yourself become a better person you will start to fill that passion for being a part of something greater than yourself.  Your family and the vision of what your family can be.  As you find that passion remember to live for this passion.  There will be times we have to step back and remember we work, we study, we serve to make our family units strong.  We do all these other things to strengthen the culture of our home.  If these outside activities are taking away from that passion maybe this is the time to refocus our dedication to what truly matters and where we can have the greatest impact.  The impact within the four walls of our own home.

 

If you ask any athlete at the games they will say one of the best parts of the Olympics for them is the chance to get and represent their country.  To have the red, white and blue right on their chest.  Every day we get the same opportunity to represent who we are and our families.  How we compete and work shows others what we stand for and who our families have taught us to be.  Embrace the challenge of representing your family each and every day and go out and win gold.