Things I Tell My Wife by Matt Knutson

“I can’t imagine how they even train for this,” I told my wife after watching the skiathlon during the Winter Olympics. It was one of the earlier events and we tuned in just as it began. The best time came in at an hour and 16 minutes to complete the total 30 kilometers on skis using both the classical and freestyle technique. That seems like quite a distance to me, someone who is far more likely to be found on the couch than the gym.

I’ve never been the biggest sports guy, but I do find myself drawn to the Olympics whenever they’re on television. I think it’s the combination that they don’t happen every year and that they cover athletes across so many spectrums that draws me into the coverage. You don’t need to have too much background to jump into whatever might be on for a half hour or more. You can simply be transported into someone else’s live, someone who has spent so much time training and perfecting their skill for this one moment in time.

To me, that kind of commitment often seems otherworldly. When you hear about the sheer amount of time that these athletes spend to compete for a gold medal, it seems almost unfathomable. These are people who have demonstrated a unique talent and matched it with dedication to become the best in the world. I find myself getting both excited and nervous for each of them before a competition begins.

And at the same time, I can’t help but wonder: What in the world am I doing with my life? How do I spend the bulk of my time? Most people my age would answer that we spend the most productive part of our day at our jobs. It begs the question for all of us: Are you using your natural talent to make the world a better place? And if you are, how are you striving to improve yourself so your talent can reach new heights?

The Olympics remind me that it’s OK to always be pushing the boundaries — to work for whatever may be on that next horizon. Maybe it’s at my job, maybe it’s at home or maybe it’s in how I give back to my community. No matter where you are and what you’re doing, you should pursue it with the heart of an Olympian. It may not be easy, but it will be transformative.

Oftentimes, they have touching stories attached to these athletes where you hear about how hard they’ve worked for this achievement, what they’ve had to overcome. You can see the intensity in their faces as they compete and the elation when they win, sorrow when they don’t. That raw emotion is so hidden in our day to day lives that we forget it’s OK to be passionate about something. It’s OK to put a stake in the ground and boldly go after something.

The Olympics remind me that I’m inspired when I see someone pursuing their dreams, not just their day-to-day dreams, but their biggest dreams — the ones that everyone has probably told them over and over again are impossible. If we all had the motivation these athletes bring to the games, the world might be a radically different place. Every time the world hosts an Olympic ceremony, it should remind all of us to pursue something more than whatever we may have settled on in life. Choose a goal and aim high, and ensure that the world is a better place if you were to reach it. We all have the possibility to be the change we want to see, but it takes hard work to get there. Don’t be afraid to put in the dedicated time to reach a new mountain top or go that extra distance. It’s always impossible until someone does it.

Matt Knutson is a communications specialist in Rochester.