The Olympics of the Ordinary
Sheri Lynn Fella
As the closing ceremonies scroll on my tv in the background, I am teary eyed and filled with inspiration. Moved by the sheer talent and will of these athletes and utterly amazed by the dedication and sacrifice it takes to be an Olympian. Yes, there are celebrity athletes whose light shines beyond the spectacle of this international gathering, but most of these athletes have come from and will go back to their ordinary lives. Isn't that amazing?
That they can be there in Paris ... competing with the best in the world and then tomorrow they go back to the ordinariness of grocery lists, work and workout schedules, taking care of their parents and kids, and paying the bills. Life events will come and go for them just as they do for us, and I find that part of this sporting spectacle the MOST inspiring of all.
Because we all have the ordinary in our lives, if we are lucky. Those folks in the world who are facing hunger, war, mental health - so many battles that prevent the ordinary for them. Those of us who are lucky enough to have the rhythm of ordinary in our lives had time and space to watch the Olympics once again showcase how there is really something extraordinary in each of us ... if we are open to seeing it, nurturing it.
So many of the personal back stories exemplify this ordinary and extraordinary yin and yang, and that inspires me way beyond a two-week Olympiad. I feel so grateful to be inspired every day in the work we do at Bloombase. We get to witness the extraordinary moments in so many ordinary days. We get to magnify the extraordinary in ordinary lives, and for me they all feel like gold medal moments.
I am halfway through the 35th cohort of our Advanced Women Leaders (AWL) experience, and the leaders in this cohort are gold medal winners no question. That they make time for themselves to grow as a whole leader each month for 6 months is not ordinary, nor are their results. After a decade of witnessing hundreds of women in this experience alone, I can't help but feel just as inspired as I do by the Olympians. I honestly cannot imagine what it takes for an Olympian athlete to get to that level of competition. I also cannot imagine what it takes for a woman leader to manage the extraordinary tasks of the ordinary.
The same is true for all leaders, but given we are a decade into the AWL community of alums it feels right to put them on the gold medal stand even if only in my mind. The amount of dedication they continue to display and the countless extraordinary moments that they create for their teams, community and loved ones is infinite. There won't be a podium or a national anthem for them, but that won't dull their shine in the least.
As we all turn our attention to a new school year, football season, and year end KPI's, please take some time to celebrate the ordinary. If you do, you just might see the extraordinary in your own Olympiad of life.
