History was made yesterday. A great lesson was sent to us all. But the lesson has nothing to do with aces, backstrokes or unforced errors, it's about something much more important.
This is a story about a skill essential in Life, Work and Happiness.
Yesterday, a star was born. But it was over a month ago when in a single moment, she showed the world something even the announcers found unexpected...
To win at what really matters most, we must embrace one of the most underrated, under discussed, human attributes and learned behaviours called empathy.
Empathy is defined as the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing from within their frame of reference, that is, the capacity to place oneself in another's position.[1]
I won't go into what this athlete has accomplished at only 19 years of age, and I won't go into the easy lines of celebrating nationhood with it. To read about that you can find the full story here on CBC:
But what I do want to show you, what must be highlighted, is a moment not long ago, when a wounded warrior was down and officially out, and what this young 19 year old athlete said and did.
It truly was unexpected.
It was an incredible example of a young star showing the world, in what should have been her moment of victory, that what matters most was not winning, it was getting to the finish line together.
It was about helping someone who was down. Who was hurt and in pain.
This story isn't about tennis, or cup finals, or national pride.
This is a story about our incredible ability to connect with each other through the power of empathy.
INSPIRED IDEA FOR THE DAY:
The next time you are faced with someone down and out, instead of ignoring them or worse, stand up, walk over, and show them you care. Tell them you understand, as best you can, and that they are not alone. They'll appreciate it more than they can say. And you'll know you did your part in helping connect us together in a small but incredible way.
Thanks for reading and don't forget to share this story with a friend.
And if you haven't yet, subscribe for more uplifting real life stories from The Inspired.
Until next time stay inspired.
Goran Yerkovich
.png)
Comments