No Guts, No Glory: Olympic Lessons in Performance
August 17, 2016 / Uncategorized
You can’t say she didn’t go for it.
Forty-one-year-old Uzbekistan gymnast Oksana Chusovitina earned a great deal of attention for simply competing at the Olympics, this her seventh Summer Games. In the women’s vault finals, however, she showed she was there to be more than a nice side story.
Competing against the likes of gold medalist Simone Biles and top competitors, some younger than her own 17-year-old son, Chusovitina attempted the Produnova, referred to as the “vault of death,” a move only completed four times in history.
It was a risk. One that didn’t pay off in terms of the competition, but one that certainly earned her much praise for her brashness.
The move – and her presence at these Olympic Games in general – offer lessons on how we approach our own performance and success, at work and at home.
Such as….
Achievement and Fitness Are Age Agnostic: No matter your age, you can set fitness goals and realize results. When it comes to employee wellbeing, establishing a program that meets the needs of a diverse workforce is essential to ensuring success for individuals and the organization as a whole. Create an inclusive culture of health and empower employees of all ages to go for the gold.
Dream Big: Setting a long-term goal is essential to starting down the path toward better health and wellbeing. With the Virgin Pulse program, every member establishes a private wellbeing goal, which remains a part of their profile and serves as a reminder of what they hope to accomplish. Of course, the path toward that goal is marked by many small decisions and habit changes that make better health and wellbeing possible. Like we do daily on the Virgin Pulse platform, commit to those sustainable behavioral changes. And remember to celebrate the small victories along the way.
You Spell Redemption However You Want To: Whether you’re attempting a rare gymnastics feat or improving your health, you will experience setbacks. It’s part of the journey. Choosing to dust yourself off and continue to move forward – to be resilient – is critical to accomplishing your long-term goal. Haven’t been as active recently? Sign up for that upcoming corporate challenge to get yourself back in gear. Need to eat healthier? Recommit to tracking your daily nutrition habits. Whatever it may be, just remember: It’s never too late to begin again.
