A story that can teach us all a thing or two

When I saw this one athlete's story of survival yesterday, I immediately went online to read more details. To my surprise, the info on the site was limited. :-( So I will do my best to recall as much as I can and will provide you the link to read more about her.

Mohini Bhardwaj, United States, Gymnastics

As one of the oldest US gymnast, at 25-years old, Mohini has a story that we can all relate to - and yes, as online marketers we can relate to her.

After being denied a spot on the US Olympic Gymnastics Team in 1996, Mohini focused on her college (UCLA) and excelled as a gymnast, winning several titles and setting many records. As a matter of fact, she is the highest decorated gymnast to come out of UCLA. But she still had the dream of making it to the Olympics.

She was faced with several injuries, financial woes and of course competing with others that average 10 years her junior.

But her dream came true as her name was called last for a qualifying spot on the US Olympics Women's Gymnastic Teams.

Her struggles didn't stop there.

One of the biggest challenges an athlete focusing on the Olympics can face is not just being an athlete, but having the money to get the job done. Without money, Olympic hopes can be shattered.

For those of us on here that "only" work online, we can all relate and say we've gone without food (with substance) for a while. We've gone without luxuries. But how can an athlete go without food? Or at least food with substance?

One of the jobs of a host city of the Olympics is to provide financial assistance to those athletes that they feel have the Olympic potential. But that money is limited - and Mohini wasn't so lucky to receive that funding. Wait, I am going from memory here of the show so if I am stating this and it's wrong - sorry.

Instead, Mohini worked part-time delivering pizza. She went weeks without food, only surviving on power bars. Her apartment is not furnished - after a year of living there. All this to prepare for the Olympics.

Ok, now if that were me? I'd be horribly depressed. I'd want to give up. Heck, we have all had that feeling online!

But the dedication and commitment of an athlete - amazing. Their mind is so disciplined. They are dedicated to their craft. Mohini went one week straight eating nothing but power bars. I don't know if you are like me - but I get cranky if I have to survive on top ramen or mac & cheese! I also get cranky if I don't get red meat every so often!

In my opinion, for Mohini to struggle like this had to be hard on her esteem. To go home and it's bare - and nothing to eat in the cupboards but power bars. But it didn't stop her. She was so committed to survival - to making it to the Olympics - to reach her dream.

She was able to finally receive some money from Actress Pamela Anderson - who heard her story and contributed $20,000 to Mohini's training. WOW! Actresses aren't all that bad are they?

But the most important thing - Mohini is right now in Greece living her dream. Last night, Sunday, she finished in the top 15 in each of the apparatus. She is also the team captain.

You can tune in Tuesday night (August 17th) to see the team finals. I'm sure we'll see her competing in the individual events as well.

When Mohini spoke about having no food or no furnishings, she said "I can always get a real job when all of this is over."

If you ever feel like giving up online, that you just believe you can't survive on here - think about Mohini and many of the other athletes. Think about their struggles, their fears, their roadblocks...then think about their commitment and discipline. It is because of that commitment and discipline that they didn't give up and why they can say "They are living their dreams!"

Read NBC's short bio on Mohini and other Olympic stories: http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletebios/5023024/detail.html

Fun Games Online - Olympics

If you are needing a break from all your hard work here online, visit the below site and play some Olympic games - for fun. :-)

http://abc.net.au/olympics/2004/fun.htm

The Secret to a Successful Life

By Olympian Athlete Ruben Gonzalez

“The whole secret to a successful life is to find out what it is your destiny to do, and then do it.”
-Henry Ford

But how do you find out what your destiny or purpose in life is? Read on...

I’m going to share a sad fact with you. When I speak at an Elementary School and ask my audience, “Do you have dreams?” almost every hand goes up. When I ask the same question at a Middle School, only half of the hand’s go up. When I ask High School and College students if they have dreams, only a few hands go up. And when I speak to adult audiences, I’m surprised if anybody raises their hand.

Benjamin Franklin said, “Most men die at age 25 but are not buried until they are 70.” What he meant was, most people give up on their dreams before they are 30 years old, and spend the rest of their lives in “survival mode”, living day to day, just trying to get through the day rather than living a life filled with passion, in the pursuit of their dreams.

Life is tough. There’s no doubt about it. And unless you are crystal-clear about where you want to go, crystal-clear about your life purpose, mission, calling, or destiny, and unless you believe it is possible for you to make your dream a reality, you will not act on it and you will revert to “survival mode”. Believe me, “survival mode” is not a good place to be.

I know. I’ve been there. Ever since the third grade, I dreamed of being an Olympic athlete. But I didn’t believe in myself so I never committed to acting on my dream. Eventually I put my Olympic dream up on the shelf. For years, I felt lost. I felt like a nobody. I felt I was not making a difference. I did not like myself. Many years later, while in College, something happened that inspired me to go for it. When I saw tiny Scott Hamilton win the Gold Medal at the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics, I said to myself, “If that little guy can do it, I can do it too! I WILL be in the next Olympics!” And I made a commitment to do whatever it took to make my dream a reality. All of a sudden, my life had purpose, meaning, and passion! Four years later I was marching in the Opening Ceremonies of the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.

I believe God puts a dream in our heart, he gives us all the gifts, talents, and resources we need to make our dreams a reality. But it’s up to us to believe in ourselves and it is up to us to do the work. Many times, you will not discover your true gifts until you put yourself through the struggle of chasing your dream. The person you become through the struggle is your gift back to God.

You were created to make your dream come true. It is your life purpose. It is you calling. Your mission. Your dream will draw on your talents, it will appeal to your highest ideals, and will give you unlimited energy. Having a vision of where you want to be satisfies several universal drives within each of us. Having a dream connects with the spirit that dwells in our heart; it gives us an outlet for our unique gifts and talents, and makes us feel that our lives matter. It makes us feel that we are making a difference.

Read the entire article here: http://www.thelugeman.com/The-Secret-to-Living-a-Successful-Life%20.htm

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Where'd that saying come from? -- Just For Fun :-)

'It's all Greek to me'
It’s usually attributed to William Shakespeare, in Julius Caesar: “Those that understood him smiled at one another and shook their heads; but for mine own part, it was Greek to me”. But virtually the same phrase had been used the year before (1600) by another Elizabethan playwright, Thomas Dekker: “I’ll be sworn he knows not so much as one character of the tongue. Why, then it’s Greek to him”. Actually, the phrase is older than both of them: it comes from a Medieval Latin proverb “Graecum est; non potest legi” (It is Greek; it cannot be read). Both the Latin and the English meant then just what the phrase does now, to refer to something that is unintelligible. As an aside, the Spanish version of this proverb is “hablar en griego”, which is commonly said to be the origin of the word gringo, so somebody who is called a gringo is literally accused of speaking Greek and hence being unintelligible.


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