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I always watch the Olympics on television. I don't mean that I don't want to be at the real goings-on, but generally, that's not possible. Now, mind you, I am not obsessed by it. I just like to watch. I just like to see the champions, the aspiring gold, silver and bronze medal winners. I like the pomp and ceremony, the excitement of a world-class event.

As I watched the games of the XXVII Olympiad, I found myself holding my breath as the participants won or lost by mere fractions of a second. I looked into their eyes as they were interviewed by the media. The winners reflected joy, excitement and great satisfaction. Those who did not win gold medals received silver, bronze or none at all. But, in my opinion, there were no losers. All the athletes at the Olympic games were winners. They won just by being there, just by showing up.

As I watched, I was struck by the similarity between the games and life itself. We are all part of a very significant Olympics, we are all participants in the Olympics of Life. And the Olympics of Life continues everyday of our life. We are already winners in this great Olympics because we've showed up, we are here to participate in the game of life.

True, the game of life has many players, all six billions of us on Earth. And we all play different games. Some play baseball games while others play the games of "doctoring" or writing, or running a small business or heading a giant corporation or saving whales or parenting or whatever you could think of. There are more games going on at one time than you could imagine.

Not everyone in the Olympics wins a gold or silver medal. Some earn bronze, while others come in fourth or sixth or even last. But in the game of life, everyone has the opportunity to be a gold winner. And how do you do that, you ask? By being in the game, by being prepared, by having a sense of purpose, by knowing your competition.

And who is your competition? You may be surprised at this. Your competitor is only YOU of yesterday. All you have to do is be a little better than the YOU of yesterday a little bit better than you have been. We all play different games. There's no one else on Earth with the unique combination of experiences, talents, gifts, abilities and perspectives as you. If you look at the game this way, you'll find that no other person is your competition.

And, yes, if you really like your game, you generally have an edge-- a very powerful edge. As you play your game of life-- doesn't matter what your business, job or calling may be-- play as if you cannot lose. Because you've already won-- you've showed up. But to get the gold, everyday, practice to be better than you were yesterday.

Don't judge yourself too harshly when there are seeming setbacks. Even the greatest athletes in the world have experienced failure at one time or the other. Failure can be defined as the time we spend between successes. Learn from your failures and keep on keeping on. Give others a hand as you play the game. They are not your competitors, they are only fellow players in their own games. It is a mystical thing, but it seems that as we help others, we actually help ourselves.

From the moment you were born, you entered the Olympics of life. If you have watched some of the games of the twenty-seventh Olympiad, let them inspire you "to strive to seek, to find and not to yield." Only YOU can play your game and win the gold or silver or bronze. You've already paid the price to get to where you are. Wherever that is-- near the top of the mountain or the bottom of the ditch-- start again with a whole new outlook. You can get to the top of the mountain. You can get out of the ditch. You may be surprised how close you are to victory. So, go for the gold!