Advice from Olympians
who have completely overtaken my Instagram feed
When I was a kid, I loved playing Olympics. My friends and I spent hours performing balance beam routines on the back of the couch and giving each other scores when we dove off the diving boards at the pool. But while I’ve always enjoyed watching the Olympics, I never really got into following the athletes.
Until now. These days, I have a kid who thinks that Team USA swimmers are the absolute pinnacle of cool. So my Instagram feed has slowly been overtaken by USA Swimming and all kinds of swimmers (love what your kid loves, right?). As a result, I’m more invested in the Olympics than I’ve ever been before.1
So when we learned that the Olympic swim team would be holding their first training camp right down the road this year, it was a Very. Big. Deal.
My ten-year-old and husband happily got up at 5 am on a Saturday to line up for a chance to watch a swim team training session and to score some Team USA autographs.
The next afternoon, our whole family headed to an NC Courage game. We got to see some soccer Olympians in action, which we loved,2 but the real reason we were there was… you guessed it, swimming. Our summer swim league organized a pregame panel with a few swimmers from the Olympic team.
A wet, drizzly afternoon couldn’t keep excited young swimmers (and their parents) from filling the bleachers. Ignoring the rain, kids eagerly tilted their faces towards their real-life heroes, listening attentively as they imparted wisdom about their Olympic journeys.
The panel was great, and—even though I have no athletic aspirations of my own—I had three big takeaways, applicable to all kinds of dreams:
What can I do today?
One swimmer shared their practice of asking themselves what they can control today to help them reach their goals. Big goals aren’t achieved overnight. Sometimes, just figuring out where to start is overwhelming. But the simple question of “what can I do today?” is a manageable way to break big, impossible-seeming goals down into smaller pieces.
Don’t give up on deferred dreams.
One of the panelists was a coach. His childhood dream had been to make it to the Olympics. He didn’t make it as a swimmer, but now he was headed to Paris as a coach. Achieving his Olympic dreams looked different than he originally imagined, but he was thrilled to be living this new version of them.
Have fun.
Every single panelist mentioned the importance of having fun. If you aren’t enjoying chasing your dreams, they probably aren’t worth dedicating your life to.
It’s been pretty fun to watch the Olympic events and know that we got to hear from an athlete on the panel, or that my son has their autograph in his room. It turns out Olympians aren’t just incredible athletes—they have some pretty good advice, too.
A few Olympic-related reads I’ve enjoyed this year:
Olympic books my kids have enjoyed:
The Boys in the Boat - Young Readers Adaptation
In non-Olympic news:
Did you know that I co-lead Creative Cohorts with my friend
? Fall registration is open, and we are excited to lead a fall cohort through The Artist’s Way and another through Walking in This World. If you are longing for some creative community and accountability, we’d love for you to join us. More information and the application can be found here (and there’s an early bird discount good through tomorrow, July 31). We’re also offering Creative Direction for anyone who is looking for tailored creative guidance.I love the way Paris is using existing landmarks for the Games when possible instead of building structures that will inevitably end up abandoned (though I do love following urban explorers who visit abandoned places).
What my two younger kids REALLY loved? Getting to ride the mechanical bull set up at the fan zone at the soccer game. They were obsessed.
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Don’t give up on deferred dreams ❤️. Love that one!
I really liked the book, Boys in the Boat! Did you ever watch the movie? (Did we already talk about this??) Haha.