I love summer Olympic time. It’s story after story of amazing athletes and their perseverance, dedication, and ridiculous work ethic. 

The other night our family was in the mood for a movie night. My wife had a great suggestion – Miracle. What better way to get in the Olympic mood then reliving one of the greatest U.S. sports moments of all time in the 1980 Olympic hockey victory over the heavily favored Soviet Union (I know, not a summer Olympic event, but what a great story).

When my wife and I originally saw this movie, we were college athletes. Our love for the storyline was focused on the mentality and dedication of the players. The narrative represented the rise above the limitations the outside world was placing on the team because within the team, expectations demanded excellence and so much more than what anyone else thought was possible. 

As we were watching this movie 20 years later, my wife made a remark that made me pause. She commented that isn’t it interesting how we used to watch this movie from the vantage point of a player and as we’re watching it tonight, we now watch this movie from the eyes of a coach.

It was a great observation about how our time and experiences evolve. Who we were before isn’t who we are today. As time progresses and we broaden the lens we see the world with, there’s an importance to recognize where our journey has taken us so far.

For my wife and I, one of our passions now is coaching our kids’ sports teams. The way we compete is in a very different way than back in college. Now we have an even broader opportunity to make an impact by taking the experiences we’ve had to help propel these kids on their journey.

My wife’s comment provided a moment of pause and reflection to appreciate how our journey can evolve the way we look at making an impact. Taking our unique experiences of the past to help propel others ahead for the future is a great representation of growth. As time passes, gathering these experiences and finding meaning and wisdom from them to pass on to someone else is part of the evolution we should be striving for. 

The other day I came across a story on the head coach of the U.S. Olympic swim team, Anthony Nesty. Back in 1988, Nesty broke a barrier and became the first black person to win an Olympic gold medal in a swimming event (representing Suriname). Fast forward to the 2024 Paris Olympics, Nesty, now the head coach for the Florida Gators swim team, broke another barrier and became the first black head coach of the U.S. Olympic swim team.

In a recent interview¹, Nesty provided perspective on the evolution from player to coach. “As a swimmer, you have to be confident in what you do. As a coach, you have to be confident in leading your team.” Nesty is a great representation of the evolution that can take place, embracing his journey and personal experiences to now help propel an entire team representing their country in quests for gold.

Enjoy the Olympics and all the incredible feats of accomplishments but most importantly, the stories of the journeys that got all these amazing men and women to have the opportunity to represent their country for gold. 

Take your step: take a few minutes to reflect on how you’ve taken your experiences and helped propel others with your lessons learned. It could be sports, music, career, cooking, or anything else you have passion for sharing your experiences. Enjoy and appreciate your evolution. Continue to explore other ways to take your experiences and help propel others forward. We all can evolve to be coaches in a variety of ways.

¹https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/07/sports/olympics/anthony-nesty-us-olympics-swim-team.html