YOG! A True Inspiration
by Anna
As we all know, Singapore hosted the first ever Youth Olympic Games and we were all caught up in the hustle and bustle of this event. Although I did not have the chance to volunteer for YOG, I had the chance to watch some of the games on television and as always, I can’t help but be swept away by the excitement, thrill and gloriousness of the winning moments of the athletes. Olympic Games, no matter how controversial it can be, is one of the greatest proofs that dreams really do come true.
As I watch the games, I start to analyze, all these young athletes’ variety of character and attitudes which I deemed are good role models children and adults alike can learn from. Here are some of those I think are great qualities to model after:
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Never give up. Whenever we have to compete, no matter how much preparation we do, the journey will always be uncertain. One very admirable thing about these athletes is the attitude of never giving up, no matter how difficult, unpredictable or scary the competition could be. Have you ever seen an athlete who stopped running/swimming or diving just because they are not on top of the game? Well, personally I’ve never seen one, unless they are seriously injured. This made me think, in life, how many times did we choose to move on rather than give up?
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Courage. Have you seen the crowds at any international competitions? Their eyes are glued on whoever is performing their act and I could tell not everyone can have that sense of courage facing the crowd. I always feel that the audience adds a great deal of stress in every performance. With that, I salute these young athletes for the courage they have shown all throughout. Truly remarkable!
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Discipline. Best results don’t come without effort, talent, and most importantly discipline. When we watch these games, we only see the end result of long hours of practice, but we rarely see the tedious process that these athletes go through. Have you ever seen an athlete who’s overweight (unless you are watching Zumo wrestling)? To maintain that pinnacle of health, these athletes go through a strict regimen of diet, exercise, rehearsals/practice, exercise, rehearsals and practice once again! In simpler words, even just being a participant in this competition requires immense level of discipline.
Although I’ve never seen nor called myself athletic, these three things that I observed really inspired me to check on my own interpretation of never giving up, having the courage and maintaining discipline. I think these are basic essentials for anyone who wants to be successful in any areas of their lives. At the moment, having watched these games encouraged me to hit the gym on a more regular basis (that is discipline), try out different exercise routine I have not tried before (courage), continue to eat healthier food and be more conscious of I what I take in and to let this go on no matter what (never give up)! This is one area I want to be successful in―maintaining my health. With courage, discipline and attitude of never giving up, I think I will never go wrong!
What about you? What is one thing in your life right now that you can apply these three things to help you reach your goal?
