Dear Doctor:
I love watching the Olympics – the energy, the pageantry, the competitive spirit, the patriotism, and the rites of passage of our world’s youth. It is a snapshot of the best of the earth’s present culture – hope, faith and optimism prevail, and the opportunity for claiming a morsel of history induces a level of commitment we rarely see elsewhere.
It is this dedication, and the behaviors that grow out of it, that impresses me the most. Swimming, fencing, track – it’s all just a huge metaphor for life, the peaks and valleys, the glories and disappointments, the agony and the ecstasy. But nowhere was the festival of the human condition celebrated more passionately than in men’s gymnastics, where we witnessed an unprecedented test and an equally astounding conclusion.
Paul Hamm, reigning world champion, went in as a favorite, and until his crash on the vault, was sailing along. His fall seemed to end any possibility of crowning his career with Olympic gold, and a lesser athlete would have been resigned to his fate.
But Hamm had something left inside, a sense that no matter what, he would bring everything to the table, and let the chips fall where they may. His performance on the last two events was so spectacular, so breathtaking, that the impossible became the inevitable – he overcame all odds to rise from twelfth place to first. Regardless of whatever scoring error by the judges, the truth is that this young man emerged, like Phoenix rising, to make his mark in the annals of Olympic lore. He is a symbol of not only world class excellence, but of the character and dignity that befits a champion, and nothing can rob those who experienced this amazing feat of the memory of his remarkable triumph. It was one for the ages, something we’ll never forget.
As chiropractors, we know what it’s like to be beaten down, to feel like the deck is stacked against us, and to see our best efforts evaporate in a puff of smoke. But we can take an example from Paul Hamm, and put our attention on the task at hand.
Even when it seems darkest, there’s always a way if you’re committed. Remember that when patients don’t get it, when a carrier refuses to pay, or when a parent resists bringing in the children for a checkup. When setbacks occur, think about Paul Hamm and the rest of those incredible kids, and focus on getting the job done. It ain’t over till it’s over, so pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get back in there and do your best. It might just be enough to put you over the top -- you’ll never know unless you go all out.
Dennis Perman DC, for The Masters Circle PS Last chance to register for “Success Systems That Never Fail” in NJ, August 27-28. To register, please call 800-451-4514, or visit themasterscircle.com. Don’t miss it!
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