Just as I started my first post about the summer Olympics a few short months ago, so I will start this first post about the winter Olympics by explaining that the first three words of the title are the Olympic motto, and that they mean “faster, higher, stronger” in Latin. Though I wrote about resilience separately back in the summer, I decided to include it in the same post this time around for several reasons. In addition to allowing me the opportunity to apply what I’ve already written about to the winter Olympics just as the Games begin so I can come up with new ideas for a future post or posts while I am watching them, I am also including ideas from both previous posts in this one so I can show just how much I believe that the quality of resilience cannot be separated from the other three, as well as that in the end, it is the most important one to possess, not just for the Olympians, but for you as well. Though you may find it challenging to think about how you can make the Olympic motto a part of your own life, not only if you are an athlete, but also as a student, and as a human being, it is in striving to do so that you will build the resilience you need to face any challenge, not only on your study skills journey, but in your life as well.
Your application of the Olympic motto may not be quite as literal as it is for the Olympians, especially if you do not participate in any organized sports, but wherever and however you choose to apply it, it can make a difference in your life, both in and out of school. While skiers aim to move as fast as they can down a mountain, snowboarders aim to jump as high as they can out of the halfpipe, and curlers must be strong enough to throw stones that weigh more than forty pounds down a sheet of ice toward a target, you can aim to move fast by becoming more efficient with your work, aim high by setting goals to make improvements to your grades, and aim to be a stronger student by developing both academic and study skills. Depending on your specific learning challenges, there may be things that you will never truly learn to do more quickly, grades that may only rise so high no matter the effort you make, and study skills that will only improve if you commit to having the mental strength to fight through whatever obstacles your learning challenges pose, but reflecting on the words of the Olympic motto and their meanings and resolving to apply them to the best of your ability, just as the athletes do, is a great way to increase the chance that you will succeed in your own way, just as the athletes already have and will continue to, not just during these Olympics, but throughout their careers, as well for the rest of their lives.
Though the Olympics had not yet started when I first wrote about them in the summer and have just barely begun now, I know that the comparisons I made between being a well-trained athlete and being a well-trained student were justified. Though I hoped at the summer Games’ conclusion that the winter athletes would not be as affected by COVID as the summer athletes were, it turns out that I didn’t know and couldn’t predict, regardless of how aware I was that the pandemic was still with us, that in some ways, the winter athletes are even more affected by the challenges of COVID than the summer athletes were. Each and every one of them has been affected by the pandemic, and though they did not have to wait an extra year to compete, they are dealing with stricter COVID protocols than the summer athletes faced, and in addition to not having their families and other spectators there to see them compete, those who are present in their venues have been told that while they may clap for the athletes, they are not permitted to cheer. I’m sure that any of you who have participated in sports, or in any other activity that invites applause, would agree that when you hear cheers as well, you feel even more supported. Knowing that the athletes will face these challenges along with those more directly related to their ability to compete has made me realize that they are even more resilient than I always thought they were. Even if you are someone who is not interested in watching the Games, or who is much more interested in the competition than in the athletes and their challenges, the lesson of their resilience is a good reminder that no matter the challenges you face, whether they relate to your studies, the pandemic, or both, you, too, can be resilient.
Examples of resilience are everywhere, and are not confined to the experiences of Olympic athletes. As you work to become more resilient through the development of your study skills, as well as through whatever challenges you face in life, keep in mind that behind every amazing achievement you witness, there is a person with a story. Everyone from the most famous Olympic star to the person who sits next to you in class has faced challenges and had obstacles to overcome, whether you are aware of them or not. Whether you follow the Olympics or not, try to find examples of resilient people in your own life. Knowing that other people have faced and overcome challenges, and that these challenges are as many and varied as the people who face them, is a good reminder that you always have the chance to write the next chapter in your own story. Just as the Olympians have had to be throughout the pandemic, you, too, have been resilient, and remembering that, whatever your current challenges, is a good way to make sure that you will keep building your resilience, just as the Olympians will.
While “citius, altius, fortius,” or “faster, higher, stronger,” is best known as the motto of the Olympics, it can also serve as a good motto in both school and life. When it comes to study skills, using time more wisely and efficiently, aiming higher by setting goals and working to the best of your ability to achieve them, and developing the mental strength you need to succeed regardless of any challenges and obstacles you may face, are all ways you can live the Olympic motto, and truly strive, just as the Olympians do, to achieve more than you ever thought you could. Though it is not part of the Olympic motto, resilience plays an important role in the lives and successes of the Olympians. Striving to become more resilient as you work to develop your other study skills can help you better face and overcome challenges, just as the Olympians do.