On approach to their 3rd Olympics : Me with Scott Moir, Tessa Virtue and their coaches Patrice and Marie-France (who I mentored in 2006!) What a team!
I met Kaillie at the 2006 Olympics – a 1st Winter Games for both of us… Now she’s at her 4th, going for 3rd gold.
With the 2018 Olympics starting soon, I’ve found myself in a recurring conversation with athletes who are about to test years of their preparation against the World. Most of the athletes I’ve been talking with are going to their 3rd and 4th Olympics; they are successful and experienced veterans and yet they are troubled by the question “Are you Ready?”.
The question isn’t a conundrum for just Olympians… it’s one that – in the presence of ambition – will (should?!) always circle back on you…..
If you ask an incompetent person “Are you ready?” or “Do you know enough?”- because they are incompetent and they believe that what they know is everything – they will tell you, AND believe, that they are as ready as they could possibly be.
If you ask a competent person “Are you ready?” or “Do you know enough?”- because they are competent, and know how much there is to know – they can’t say and BELIEVE that they are as ready as they could possibly be. (Consider – I imagine that if you ask Stephen Hawking what he knows about the universe – he will tell you that he knows almost nothing. )