Listen to the Pgh Dreamer’s Pod: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/meghan-greenwood/episodes/5-Lessons-Learned-from-the-Olympics-e2n3ikt

I am a HUGE fan of the Olympics. I love the idea of dedicated athletes coming together from all over the world to compete in incredible feats – defying gravity, superhuman strength, and lightning fast speed. I especially enjoyed the 2024 Summer Olympics and encouraged our kids to at least watch the highlights (their attention spans are still not ready to handle 2 hours of qualifications!).

As the games came to a close, I reflected on what these competitions teach us every 4 years, and how we can utilize the lessons in our everyday personal and professional lives.

Here are 5 lessons learned from watching the Olympics:

1. Teamwork is key. You can’t do it all yourself, no matter how hard you try. You need a team of people to support you in all life’s endeavors. And the team doesn’t have to be large – even 1 person you can count on is beneficial. Friends and family in your personal life and coworkers in your professional life. All of these individuals can help mold and shape you into the best version of yourself.
2. Dedication leads to greatness. If you enjoy doing something, do it when you can. But if you want to achieve ultimate success, practice, practice, practice. We are allowed to want and do both, but if you truly want to advance at work or decrease your diabetes medication or start a non-profit for underprivileged youth, dedication is necessary.
3. Unity is critical. With the current turmoil all over the globe and upcoming election in the US, the external and internal fighting is a lot to take in on a daily basis. The Olympics showed us a glimpse of understanding and unity – realizing that people come from a wide variety of backgrounds, and we shouldn’t judge, at least not off the balance beam. We can all benefit from adopting more tolerance and compassion for our fellow humans. We have no idea what they’ve been through.
4. Innovation never stops. While it may be difficult to navigate advances in technology and the world in general, as a species, we are lucky to always keep evolving. We have amazing minds that keep pushing the envelope and helping us to achieve more with the resources we have. The Olympians pushed boundaries and accomplished World Records as well as welcomed new sports, such as breakdancing, with open arms. We can shift and mold our attitudes in light of their flexibility.
5. Resilience is non-negotiable. Bad things happen to good people. Good things happen to good people. Our ability to bounce back and keep trying our best is what makes life worth living. As Olympians fell or hurt their arms or were stripped of their medals, their grace in picking themselves up and moving forward should be emulated.

I hope you enjoyed the games and think through these suggestions as we embark on another Monday!