Did you know that Michael Phelps, the great American swimmer, is the most decorated Olympian of all time? Michael earned 28 medals, 23 of which were gold.
Despite winning like nobody else in history, Michael Phelps suffered great depression following each Olympic games and even considered suicide at one point. He is open about his struggle and has talked publicly to help others.
So often we set our sights on a goal that we want to achieve. Sometimes we achieve these goals and sometimes we do not. Either way, we must look at a goal and an achievement as a milestone and not the end all, be all.
There is no doubt that achieving something great may be the pinnacle of achievements in our life, but it does not mean that there is not something better. To put this in perspective, we must realize that we will win some and we will lose some, but our accomplishments and our failures are simply steps along the path in our life. There is always something new around the corner and to be able to see this, we must look at our accomplishments with perspective. Though it may seem that we will never one up a great accomplishment, it really does not matter. We did it and now we will do something else.
There are so many examples that we can apply to each of our own lives. It is critical to understand that our lives should really be about the journey and not the gates or milestones. Every day is a new day and a gift. Sure, we might not make as big of a mark tomorrow as we did last week, but it is important for us to realize that it is okay. I might even argue that the greatest things that we do that may affect others are not even realized. We need to open our eyes and pay attention as each of us has unlimited potential.
If you don’t believe me, read the book by David Goggins, Can’t Hurt Me. It is the extreme example of what I am presenting and much like Michael Phelps, there was no accomplishment that was enough to satisfy his insatiable appetite for accomplishment. Luckily, both Michael and David figured this out and found a way to make peace with themselves.
I believe that most of us have an element of this drive within. Take a moment to put things in perspective and realize that what you do is enough, and your purpose is much greater than winning a gold medal or reaching another pinnacle that others consider great.
