
In the aftermath of the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo, the SA team’s achievements made me think of a scripture in Hag 2:16 that says “When anyone came to a pile of grain to get 20 measures, there would be only 10. And when anyone came to a wine vat to draw out 50 measures, there would be only 20 in it.”
Disappointment
The South African Olympic Committee expected that the South African team would bring home at least 13 medals, but only 3 medals found their way to South Africa. This reminded me of the title of a book published in 1997 by Clem Sunter with the title What it really takes to be world class. I presume that the book was written with business people in mind, yet the title is extremely relevant with reference to the Olympic Games.
World-class
To compete on a world stage like the Olympics, you really need to be world class.
But world class does not only mean faster, higher and stronger, it also means a lot of research, planning and psychological preparation.
Besides your level of strength and fitness, there are so many other factors that can play a role in whether you’ll end up on the podium or not. Recently we’ve seen Naomi Osaka (tennis) and Simone Biles (gymnastics) succumbing to the psychological pressures of competing on the world stage.
Big match temperament
Yes, the Olympics have a strange way of bringing very strong participants back to earth. After his failure to reach the second round of the javelin competition, Rocco van Rooyen, a South African first-time competitor in javelin said “my brain did not want to talk to my legs.”
Also, our 4 x 400m team recorded their best time ever, yet came 7th in their heat and did not qualify for the second round. Talking about “big match temperament”, this is where it really matters, and once you’ve won a major tournament or Olympic medal, the pressure increases tenfold to keep it up.
Sebastian Coe, President of the IAAF and former Olympic gold medalist and world record holder in middle distance events, once said that with such achievements under your belt,
there is no coming second in a race, you either win or you lose.
The taller the tree, the more wind it catches.
# But what about you and me?
The vast majority of us though do not have such a competitive spirit and therefore we have no desire to compete at such a high level.
Yet, for our country’s economic well-being, it is important for us to be competitive in the world market. To grow our economy, we need to be able to export products and services to earn foreign currencies. Without international trade, our own currency (Rand) becomes worth less and less.
On a personal level
So, to make it more personal, we need each one of us to do quality work if we want other countries to buy from us. And that is where each of us has a role to play. The work that we do, is not just to put food on the table,
each of us should work with purpose and be proud of the excellent work we do.
The Bible is very clear that the purpose for our work life is to reflect Christ in and through our lives. Our work is our worship to God. The words work and worship even originate from the same Hebrew word, avodah.
Paul says in Colossians 3:23-24 “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”
Daniel did just that. “… Daniel distinguished himself above the governors and satraps, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king gave thought to setting him over the whole realm.” (Daniel 6:3)
Let us do the same.
A major factor contributing to not reaching your full potential, is being in the wrong job or career. Being in a career that does not match who you really are, is bad, even at its best. If that’s you, contact me for a Career Direct Assessment (available online) which will help you know and understand yourself? It will not only show who you are, but will also point you in the right direction.