Hey, Beautiful!
So...
Unless you've been living under a rock, you've no doubt heard about what happened to Simone Biles last week
The greatest gymnast of all time withdrew from competition during the Olympic team all-around finals.
She's been both excoriated and praised on social media.
Some people are calling her a quitter, saying she should have "sucked it up" and competed anyway. That she let her team down.
"Quitting isn't courage," they say.
Others heap mountains of praise on her, calling her the bravest athlete of all time. Lauding her courage to put her mental health first.
"She's a hero," they say.
Regardless of where you stand on the issue (like it's really any of OUR business...) one thing is for sure.
Simone Biles faced enormous pressure. From fans. Media. The sports world. Herself.
She was EXPECTED to bring home the gold medal. For some people, nothing other than that was good enough.
Simone says she faced a massive case of the "twisties" - where you don't know where you are in space. That's incredibly dangerous for a gymnast. (Have you SEEN her off-the-charts skills?!)
She could easily be paralyzed or die if she lands the wrong way.
Personally, I don't blame her for not taking that risk. (Would you take it?)
But here's the thing. So many of us HAVE put ourselves in potentially dangerous situations because we bowed to the pressure. Tried to live up to the expectations of others and ended up harming ourselves in the long run...
Burnout. Health challenges. Unfulfilling life choices. Hiding who we really are.
Simone showed us, in no uncertain terms, that you CAN refuse to live up to the expectations of other people.
That your worth is NOT determined by your performance.
That healing isn't always convenient, easy, or "accepted," but it's absolutely necessary.
What lessons can you take from her decision?
I'd love to hear your thoughts...
