The Greatness in Us All
By Silver Rose
The Greatness in Us All
The Olympics are over for 2004. The benefits will linger for years to come. Would you like to help make sure they do?
It’s easy to think of the Olympics as a colossal sporting event. To do so would be to miss the impact the Games have on the spirit of the world at large and the individual spirits of those of us who watched.
In his amazing book, Power vs. Force, Dr. David Hawkins describes it this way:
It is what they have become that inspires.
As they become more, so do we.
The power of the Olympics to transform first came to my attention through my father. I remember, as a small child, sitting with my family watching the figure skating competition during the Winter Olympics. Imagine my astonishment when I looked over and saw my father, a gruff and severe man, with tears running down his face. “Daddy!” I cried, “What’s wrong?!?” He turned to ALL OF us and said, “It’s just so beautiful.”
Greatness always stirred my father. Greatness stirs us all. Perhaps it’s because, at the precise moment we are moved by greatness, we become aware of the greatness that lies within us. And that awareness connects us to everyone else in a profound way.
The Olympics are full of competition. What’s unique about that competition is that the athletes are competing less with their “opponents” and more with their own personal best. This competition with self is available to each of us every single day if we take the opportunity.
The Law of Attraction says, “You attract more of what you focus on.” As we sat, mesmerized by the quality of the Olympic competition, we were attracting into our own lives a higher level of quality with regard to our own particular talents. The more we focus on the greatness of others, the more our own greatness finds expression.
More than anything, the Olympics cause us to experience profound hope for this planet. When we see the athletes of all those nations marching together, living together, and competing together we see the possibility of a future that includes more of that. Yes, we want our nation to win but that doesn’t preclude feeling awe and respect when an athlete from a different nation breaks a world record or performs flawlessly.
What if we were to bring the spirit of the Olympics into our work every day? What would that look like?
§ Each of us striving to be the very best we can be;
§ Cheering the achievements of our co-workers, even if they surpass our own
§ Commitment to achieving better results today than we did yesterday
§ Instead of thinking, “I have to go to work today,” understanding what a gift it is to be able to use your talents as you “get to go to work today.”
Don’t let the Olympics stay in Athens. Keep them alive through what they’ve inspired in you. You may never get your face on a Wheaties box but you’ll earn your own medal forged of self-respect. And that is worth its weight in gold.
