Tags
chances, failure, humility, olympics 2014, risks, shawn white, snowboarding, Sochi Olympics, success
So…this happened last night.
Just like that, in an instant, you’ve fallen. All those early morning trainings, those nights you went to bed early, that piece of cake you skipped, all suddenly account for nothing.
That’s what happened last night to snowboarding legend, Shaun White.
According to NBC News, “White’s Olympic gold medal reign came to a stunning end Wednesday at the halfpipe final in Sochi. The two-time Olympic champion landed in fourth place in a down-to-the-wire contest that ended his attempt to make history.
Following a powerful performance in the halfpipe qualifier, White attempted a series of ambitious moves that he couldn’t cleanly land. He wiped out on the first of two runs at the Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, putting him in second-to-last place with a score of 35 out of 100.”
The previous night, he guaranteed his ticket to the finals, scoringĀ 95.75 out of 100 on his first of two runs.
When asked what the viewers could expect in the finals, White said, “You heard the rumors,” he said. “I’ve been working on some big tricks.”
“One of the big tricks turned out to be the “Yolo” which ended his Olympic reign.”
What a rise and what a fall.
A fall can be literal, physical, emotional, relational or professional.
The truth is, a fall can happen to any of us at any time. Terrifying, isn’t it?
We plan our lives out, we train for things, but we truly don’t know what will happen tomorrow, or even in the next hour for that matter. Sometimes how we fall is in our control. When it’s not, it’s all the more painful.
Here are my top four tips for getting back up after a hard fall:
- Be grateful. In the moment following your fall, this is the LAST thing you’ll feel like doing. But do it. Think of one thing you’re grateful for. Here’s one- your last breath. It can be that simple.
- Be humble. In reality, you’re blessed to have made it this far. Don’t blame others. If you’re Shawn White, don’t blame the weather. You’re an adult and you chose to ride that halfpipe. Own it and move on.
- Be flexible. You never imagined this would happen, so who know’s what tomorrow will hold. Stay positive and keep pressing forward. As C.S. Lewis once said, “There are far, far, better days ahead.” You might end up in a place you never imagined, but it might be way better than you imagined.
- Be bold. The night before his now famous fall, White promised even bigger tricks the following night. Some might say this is pride, but I think that there is a way to live each day so boldly (with humility) that will leave you with no regrets.