There is a very good reason that Canadians will be glued to their television sets for the next two weeks.
While Canadian pride will encourage many of us to watch the Vancouver Olympic Games, we will also be watching because there is something compelling about seeing world-class athletes at the top of their game.
Excellence is something to be admired.
That is why even those who don’t normally watch sporting events are mesmerized by images of Canadian athletes, striving to be the best they can be.
We admire their hard work, their determination, and their drive.
It takes a tremendous amount of sacrifice to be the best at anything.
Those who excel at sport have given up free time, other extracurricular activities, and have also sacrificed time with their loved ones, all in the pursuit of excellence.
Those who excel in school often give up many of the same things, in an attempt to reach their full potential.
In reality, we do not celebrate excellence enough.
In a world of mediocrity, where “good enough” is good enough, where we accept that something can’t be done, and that this is the best we can expect, the Olympics provide a refreshing reminder that excellence can be achieved.
It’s an attitude that we should be taking to the rest of our lives.
While few of us have the skills and athletic prowess to ever become Olympic champions — or even competitors — we all possess the ability to achieve excellence.
It can be simply in how we treat others, or in the way we serve our customers. It can be in taking that extra time to make a project look its best, or in reading “one more story” to our children.
Excellence can be found in the little things. Indeed, excellence is all about excelling with the little, everyday tasks we have before us.
After all, an Olympic figure skater must spend countless hours on the finer aspects of his or her routine, in addition to mastering the showier tricks of the trade. It is the complete package that earns the top marks.
We may not ever come close to Olympic prowess, but we can take this spirit of excellence with us in our day-to-day lives, long after the Olympic flame returns to its home.