The Golden Secret

After another herculean Olympics,?Katie Ledecky showed why she'll?go down as one of the greatest Olympians ever. A four-time Olympian with?14?medals standout to many, sure.?But I see her discipline, consistency and commitment to greatness as the reasons why she’ll be revered for lifetimes.?

When asked what the secret to success is??The goat responded by saying, “The secret is there is no secret.” Work hard. Take care of your body. Pay attention to the details. Show up every day – and fall in love with what you do.?

I believe that if you do all of this, and on a long enough timeline, you’ll get to where you want to be.

This was one of my favorite Olympics in recent memory. From watching our favorite swimmers like Katie win gold, to new-coming sprinters like Gabby Thomas sweep the field, to Simone Biles and her Olympic comeback, or our women’s soccer team ousting Brazil in the final, and especially our men’s and women’s basketball teams standing tallest from the podium on the last day. It’s no question the national anthem of the United States of America was echoing through the rafters of the Stade de France.

In 2018 I wrote a blog post about the growth of International lacrosse, and this past October, lacrosse was named the next Olympic sport for the Games in Los Angeles in 2028 – a thrill for many, and an ode to the game’s history in North America. Lacrosse was once an Olympic sport in 1904 and 1908, then again in 1932 when the Olympics were in Los Angeles. Back then, there were only 4 countries who participated – so we went on a 90 year Olympic sabbatical.

Today, there are 92 countries competing and counting…1417 days until Los Angeles.

Executives at Comcast and NBC were ecstatic with the Paris games, citing viewership numbers up by more than 80% from the previous Games in Tokyo. Historically, there are more than 3 billion people who tune in around the world to watch. What a powerful statistic, and one that I know will present our beautiful game on a stage that we’ve never felt before. A stage so big, that the game’s magnificent future will be unlocked – from participation to college to professional and international.?

Until then, remember Ledecky’s advice…

You can read more chapter's like the one above from my book "The Way of the Champion: Pain, Persistence and the Path Forward" in bookstores or audiobooks everywhere.

Yours in the journey,

Paul