Her victory is your victory.
Celebrate with her.
Your victory is her victory.
Point to her.
Abby Wambach
Are you watching the Olympics at the moment? What do you notice about the team members when they score a goal or win a game?
I’ve noticed many of the athletes point at other team members to acknowledge their contribution. Or they point at their coaches. Or they thank their parents who drove them to training every morning at 6 am.
Each individual who wins a medal has a support team at home, a coach, and team members who have helped them get to where they are.
During her international soccer career, American Abby Wambach scored 184 goals. When she scored, seconds after the ball hit the back of the net, as her ecstatic teammates ran toward her, Wambach always pointed at them.
She was pointing at the other players in recognition of the part they played to make her success possible.
When Ariarne Titmus won her gold medal in the women’s 400m freestyle at the Tokyo Olympics she said, ‘Where I am today would not be possible without my coach, Dean.’
We all saw the way her coach celebrated her win. The video of his wild antics went viral. I’m sure we’d all like a coach who celebrates us like he celebrated Ariarne.
Acknowledging that our achievements are not all due to our own efforts helps keep us humble.
As a creative person, it’s easy to be proud of my efforts and to be pleased with the work I produce, and that’s fine. I think it’s when we go overboard that it tips into an unhealthy or inflated sense of ourselves.
I’ve just finished writing a series of YA novels and in the last one, I included a long acknowledgement section to thank all those who’ve helped me along the way. People who’ve encouraged me, shared their expertise, and contributed to my writing achievements.
In soccer, in writing, in the Olympics, in life, there are times when we are the ones who score a goal.
Sometimes, it’s the person beside you who wins.
It’s important that we run toward the one who scored the goal to celebrate.
It’s important that we point in the direction of the ones who help set us up for a win.