A Run of Success

During the recent winter olympics, i saw an interview with Australia's gold medallist Dale Begg-Smith, in which he was asked that standard 'what's it like to win a gold medal?' type of question.

To the interviewer's surprise, the response was calm and simple - "it's good". However, when asked to "take us through" that final run, he enthusiastically described minute details, and was obviously excited about doing a great run with no mistakes.

I can't help but think that this is a really healthy attitude.

A gold medal depends entirely on the results of the other competitors - particularly in Dale's case, where he was not the final competitor to take part. Having already completed his runs, should Dale judge himself as a success or failure, based on whether the Norwegian can go 1/100th of a second quicker or slower?

I think not - and Dale seems to agree. Perhaps true success, in sport or in life, has little to do with comparison. Perhaps true success is as simple as doing the best you can do, and being the best you can be.