Straight from The Horse’s Mouth

Dreams. Struggle. Inspiration. Pushing the limits. Beating the clock. It’s what sport is about. It’s what life is about.

Although I know little about winter sports I watched a lot of the Vancouver Olympics. Ever since seeing gymnasts Olga Korbut in '72 and Nadia Comaneci in '76 I have been hooked on the personal stories of sacrifice, heartbreak and persistence. Who was not reduced to tears by skater Joannie Rochette's performance after losing her mother days before? My heart swelled with pride even, because I am married to a Canadian. They did a good job of promoting the kindness and generosity of those from the Great White North.

It is a rare occasion when the world takes time out to put aside the rancor of international struggle and celebrate some of the best of humanity. Sport a perfect vehicle. It parallels daily life and business as well, on every level. It is a way of unifying people across the lines of class, culture and race. Whether it’s pursuing a dream, overcoming challenges, pulling together to achieve greatness, appreciating the spirit of competition, knowing what it means to be an underdog, dealing with loss, winning with grace, losing with dignity, coming back from injury, etc.; learning and understanding how to handle any of these situations contributes to building perhaps the most important thing anyone looks for in a partner, employee, boss or friend – character. Character counts. It matters. And it’s just one of the many things you can truly develop through sport.

The lessons learned through sport give us perspective and teach us how to handle adversity. They provide us with cues on how to deal with whatever life or business throws our way. At some point in each of our lives, we will face adversity in both our professional and personal lives. When we do, we will need our friends, family and faith more than ever. We need our "teammates." They help get us through and we must do the same for them.

Do not assume that Olympian aspirations are only for those at the pinnacle of their field. Business success or a gold medal on the podium is simply the accumulation of millions of tiny moments when the difficult choice is made to endure. Every day we can choose an easy short cut or make the sacrifice needed to push ahead. The common thread we share with Olympians is that we have the same number of moments available to us. There they go now...tick tock tick tock.