Willing and Able

South African icon of Ableness, Natalie du Toit, becomes the first disabled person to carry a country’s flag at the Opening Ceremony of an Olympic Games. All pictures courtesy SASCOC

For many, it’s
hard to feel anything but disappointed when you review South Africa’s
performance at the Beijing Olympic Games with regards to the medal count. But
let’s remove the emotions and look deeper at the efforts put in by our
sportswomen.

There were
numerous personal bests, South African and African records, which tell us that
our athletes did their very best for their country and performed with pride and
passion.

Competing
against top able-bodied athletes, Natalie du Toit finished a credible 16^th
in the 10km open water swim at the Olympics. Just looking at the result on
paper, its nothing to get too excited about, but guess what?

Odette Richard in action in the rhythmic gymnastics individual qualifying event.

 
The world’s media
scrambled for an interview with Natalie, instead of the three medal winners,
forcing organizers to arrange a special press conference so journalists could
speak to this celebrated South African.

So, what
made Natalie’s performance so special? She demonstrated that whatever your
level of physical ability, we can achieve our goals by simply working towards
them, and believing in our true potential.

That’s the beauty of the human
spirit; our ability to forge ahead in the face of adversity.

This month, South Africa’s top Paralympic athletes, Natalie
being on them, will join athletes from around the world for the Paralympic
Games in Beijing.

So much is expected from our athletes following their amazing Paralympic
successes in recent years. Considering the massive corporate financial backing
they’ve received, indications are that they may well com home with a bag full
of medals.

What these
athletes are teaching us is that nothing is impossible! It comes down to how
badly we want to achieve and how hard we are prepared to work to lead our best
life.

It may seem
like we have enough time to achieve our dreams but what are we doing now to
make it happen? Procrastination is a horrible habit, which we all fall victim
to at various stages of our lives. But it takes just one action to break the
cycle.

Let’s ask
ourselves, what one action we can take today to kick-start the process of
re-energizing our lives, if we haven’t already done so. Spring is an ideal time
to get going again, after the cold months of winter. 

It’s been a
challenging year but we have the opportunity to make the next four months
count. Sport is an excellent way to tap into our unlimited resources of energy. 

Jessica Pengelley in action in the 400m Individual Medley, on the Opening Day of the Beijing Olympics.

This is what makes me so happy to be involved in an initiative liked gsport. We
celebrate life and we celebrate you… To quote
American Presidential hopeful Barack Obama: "We are the ones we have been
waiting for."

Here’s to a
wonderful September and your journey to greatness!