“For younger athletes – women, especially, if it’s a male-dominated sport – I’d say be very careful to just be true to yourself. I spent a lot of time trying to emulate how a male wrestler was. They’re tough, they’re very confident, they don’t show a lot of emotion, and they push through everything. That’s not me at all. I’m a wrestler but I have emotions, I’m sensitive. When I stopped trying to be something that I wasn’t, I felt like I was freeing myself up to find ways to make it work for myself.”—Helen Maroulis
Helen Maroulis won the Women’s Freestyle gold medal at 53 kg in the 2016 Olympics—the first ever for the US Women. She did it by being true to herself. She is among the strong, confident women who are leading the growth of women’s wrestling and are examples for our young women.
Beyond her success in wrestling, Maroulis teaches us a valuable life-lesson—“Be true to yourself.” Too often we want to be someone or something we are not. We somehow think our life might be better if…. The reality is that we are unique and have our own specific Purpose. Let someone else be who they are—that is their Purpose. Our role is to be the best we can be. This is what it means to be (extra)ordinary.
When we try to emulate someone else we burden ourselves trying to be that person rather than doing the things the work for ourselves. It is fine to emulate certain qualities of the people we admire (e.g., I would love to have Dan Gable’s work ethic), but ultimately we have to “find ways to make it work for (ourselves)”.
Far too many people spend their lives under the weight of a façade. They deny self for the image someone else has for them—what society says they should be. As such, they really don’t live.
I believe that Spiritual well-centeredness is one’s fulfillment of his or her Purpose in the Universe. We are born into circumstances, given physical characteristics, have unique experiences, etc. to lead us down a specific path in life—to engage in the Universe with Purpose. Ours is not to live someone else’s Purpose. We are to be the best we can possibly be for others.
It is indeed important to be true to oneself. Otherwise, we are going to fall short of our Purpose.
Be the best you today; be better tomorrow.
Carpe momento!
Image source: Sports Illustrated