What a glorious August this has turned out to be. If you are like me, you
have probably gotten yourself caught up in at least some of the hype
regarding the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China. Half a world away, and
through the wonders of modern technology, they can still capture my
attention and keep me up too late.

I witnessed the most amazing thing last night. Not only have we watched
Michael Phelps prove time after time that he defies the conventional logic
of sport, not only have we seen people come out of nowhere to become stars,
not only have we viewed the bizarre, the expected, the joyous, but now I
have seen a young woman with more mental toughness and competitive spirit
than I can ever remember.

Nastia Liukin captured my attention last night. After 2 events, it looked as
though the judges of the gymnastics events clearly had something out for
her. People on the same apparatus were receiving the same or higher
technical scores when it was obvious even to untrained eyes that the
routines were not as good. Trained eyes such as the "experts" called in to
help with the coverage affirmed what I thought I was seeing. She had every
excuse in the world available to her, but she did not quit.

There was a point in the competition where you could see it in her
eyes…."If I have to do better to get your attention, then watch out. Here
I come". She completed her last routines flawlessly, almost DARING the
judges to score her low. They could not. She rose above everything. She had
an excuse, she had a chance to feel she was being treated unfairly and she
had a chance to fold up her tent. Who among us would have blamed her? We
would have been outraged, we would have felt sorry for her, but I have three
words for this situation…GOOD FOR HER!

If we could all learn the lesson she was teaching the world would be a
better place. Whether at work, at home or at play, it will never be all
fair. Grit your teeth, rise above the excuses and do better! Make it
impossible for the others to deny you what is yours to earn. Take away their
chance to be unfair. Nastia did. So can we.

I hope you have a great week!