Last week I had a post called Lessons from the US Olympics Gymnastics Team, with how each of the Fab 5’s behavior taught something special. But there was an overall message among many Olympic athletes that can make a big impact in real life situations—how to come back when life throws a curveball or you blow a big opportunity or you lose at something important or people just don’t think you can cut it or you or a special project you worked on for a long time gets rejected. When you have these setbacks, they often come with negative messages or direct comments from other people, such as:

•    “Move on—you see it didn’t work.”
•    “You’re losing you’re stride so find something else to do.”
•    “Have you considered that you might be too old to do this anymore?”

Or worse:
•    “You’ll probably fail if you try again.”
•    “Do you like embarrassing yourself?”
•    “You must love disappointment!”

People can be ignorant. Maybe they think they’re helping you avoid more negatives by discouraging you from trying something again. Often I believe they’re not thinking at all. Or what they say reflects how they’d feel in your shoes. But they’re not you! And many Olympians had to learn to ignore those kinds of comments and pull from within to make a great comeback, or to at least keep going. I lost track of how many times someone won the gold and left doubters with their mouths hanging open in disbelief.

We saw some succumb to a failure. Some of the gymnasts, especially the US men’s team, had one mistake after another that were uncharacteristic for them. Letting failures into your head, believing what others say and either quitting or doing poorly from the pressure, is a CHOICE, not a sentence. It’s only true if you choose to believe it. Michael Phelps came in second to Ryan Lochte in his first swim race. He didn’t look so good and failed to win gold. People wondered if he was over, burnt, not in good enough shape.

Michael is in the spotlight and could have let all the negatives get to him. They could have made him feel insecure, or feel a need to defend himself. But he chose to prove himself by going on to win four more gold medals and one silver. Watching him swim in the next races showed that he used all the doubts about him as motivation to show everyone that he’s still at the top of his game.

Sanya Richards-Ross was favored to win gold in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing but she left the blocks too quickly and was overtaken at the end, getting the bronze medal instead. It was a big disappointment and people didn’t know if she could come back four years later. But she was determined to get the gold this time and did, for the U.S. in the women’s 400 meters. Failing didn’t daunt her. She knew she could do it and did. Michael Phelps knew he could do it. That belief and determination helps you succeed!

Oscar Pistorius from South Africa was denied a place because he has prosthetic legs. But he fought for his right. While he didn’t make it into the finals, he considers himself a winner for being there and will continue to race. Many other athletes made big comebacks, despite poor expectations, because they believed in themselves and refused to absorb the doubt from other people. Doubt means nothing unless YOU doubt YOU.

If you’re trying to win at something in life, remember these Olympians. Practice, work hard, get really good at what you do, and build confidence from knowing you have it and owning your strengths. Shut out the naysayers who try to discourage you. I’ve actually told people to keep anything but positive comments to themselves. People make great comebacks every day. You can too, if you CHOOSE to believe in yourself more than the memory of a failure or people’s doubts. You can win your personal challenge by going after it with all that you have!
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