2 Kinds of Heroes

Thinking of Olympic athletes makes me smile because they’re so much like small business owners.

Watching Olympians compete on TV, we’re taken to a place where special people participate in a noble cause. These heroes commit countless hours over many years, pushing their minds and bodies to achieve a level of excellence that might somehow qualify them to merely be on a team that represents their country in the Olympic game.

Notice there was no mention of winning or medals or glory as a prime motivation.

Medals and glory are great, but most Olympians find neither. And yet they train and compete.

Watching the Olympics, we’re at once self-conscious and grateful when the long lens of the video camera permits us to invade that private moment just prior to competition. Self-conscious because of the intrusion, but grateful to be able to share this special moment and benefit vicariously from the Herculean effort, commitment and sacrifice.

The TV camera moves in closer. We can actually see the color of their eyes – perhaps even imagine their thoughts.

The swimmer is thinking, “Twelve years of training and it all comes down to the next few seconds. Must remember the fundamentals.”

The runner is having a word with herself: “Today, more than any other day, I will perform my personal best.”

Then the long lens captures the mouth. Sometimes there’s a lick to lessen the cottonmouth that only those who risk failure have tasted. Then the lips move ever so slightly, as if to offer a short prayer or claim an affirmation.

Small business owners are a lot like Olympic athletes. They commit countless hours over many years, pushing mind and body to achieve a level of excellence that might somehow allow them to merely…make a living.

Notice nothing was said about winning or medals or glory.

Medals and glory are great, but most small business owners find neither. And yet they show up, year after year, to work and contribute.

Like an Olympic competition, sometimes the future of a small business’ success rides on how well the owner performs over a very short period of time. If the camera could take you in close, you might see an owner thinking: “All these years of work and risk, and it could come down to how well I deliver this proposal in the next few minutes. Must remember the fundamentals.”

The long lens would also capture the mouth. There’s the lick to lessen the cottonmouth that only those who risk failure have tasted. Then the lips move ever so slightly, as if to offer a short prayer or claim an affirmation.

Olympians and small business owners are dedicated to what they love; they work hard, take great risks and seek excellence, often against all odds and at their own expense.

I’ll gladly spend my admiration on that kind of spirit.

Write this on a rock…
Because of the commitment, sacrifice and spirit of Olympic and small business heroes, the world is a better place.