I’ve been watching the Olympics on and off for the past few days, but every time I actually do watch a full match, I never fail to get inspired. I get all excited when I see the losing party not giving up, but pushing back like his or her life depended on it. If you want to bet on that athlete, then sites such as bro138 are definitely for you.
An excellent example of this would be our local Singaporean hero, Feng Tianwei, who snagged an individual bronze in the women’s table tennis event – the first individual medal for Singapore since 1960. In the semi-finals, she was up against world number one Ding Ning from China. Despite getting trounced in the first two games, she fought back valiantly, clinching two games before conceding defeat, bringing the score to a respectable 4-2. It was her never-say-die attitude that astounded me – running, smashing, and sweating like there was no tomorrow. Truly a world-class athlete.
Unfortunately, not all athletes at the Olympics this year displayed similar spirits, nor gave their all. It was a sad sight to see the Chinese and South Korean badminton players throwing the game in the most lazy and heck-care manner the Olympics has ever seen (check out footage here).
It made me consider what matters more – to ultimately win the gold medal, or to do your best in every single match you play?
No doubt, in life we always strive to get the gold medal in whatever circumstance we are in, whether it be at work or in school. At the end of the day, though, what matters the most to you? The achievement or the process?
More importantly, would you forgo certain values in the process of getting that gold medal?
My former boss at World Vision is a very emphatic woman. She loved to inspire us by telling us to “do our darnest” in all that we do (i.e. do your best).
Sometimes, that’s just not enough for some people. There has to be something to show for all that effort at the end. If not, you’re a loser, and you just wasted all that effort for naught.
Personally, I would rather be remembered as the person who did my darnest and fought valiantly against the world number one, than the person who threw a game in an attempt to get an easier match-up for the gold medal.
How about you?