The ongoing Paris 2024 Olympics have garnered worldwide attention. Old records are being broken. New records are being set. Many are breaking their backs to put their nation on the global map. For some participants, this is the peak of their career, even if they win no medal—a dream come true.

If you have a dream, observing happenings at the Olympics should be your dream. The athletes should inspire you. The gymnasts' efforts to put on a flawless show should leave you bewildered. How long every participant prepares to compete with the crème de la-crème should teach you a world of lessons.

Over the past few weeks, the participants have shown grit. Some have won and lost by a close margin. Others have broken a jinx and written their names in the annals of history. All in all, there is a lot to learn. It is more than just sports. This is life playing out through sports. Champions are not made overnight!

It takes a lot to win in life. Winning is not just a desire but action. It is a lot of work. Many desire to win, but only the few who work toward it will eventually win. Everyone you see representing their country at the Olympics has worked hard for years to earn their place. It did not take just a day to get where they were.

Every world champion at the Olympics has gone through a journey of failures. Some almost gave up on their dreams. Their patience as well as their commitment to their vision were tested. It took almost a decade for some to win their first medal. In life, it takes a while to make champions. The failures build them up. The disappointments strengthen their foundation. Every success is the product of many years of failure. If you fail, always remember that you are still on the success track.

Winning is not a thing of comfort!:

The path that leads to success is lonely. Sportspeople train despite the weather. Not having enough sleep is not an excuse. Comfort and success are not neighbors. Every Olympian denies themselves a lot of comfort to get the results we see. Behind the success of every winner is a world of sacrifices. Even though they may earn a lot, they still cannot eat like everybody else. Winning is a sacrifice for comfort. If you are too comfortable, the top is not the place for you.

Life is a competition, even if you think it is not!:

The Olympics is undoubtedly a competition. Life, however, is a competition too. Even when we are not competing with others, we are competing with ourselves. Our today is a competitor of what we achieved yesterday. At the Olympics, everyone wants to be the best so they put forth their best foot. Similarly, we all want to be, at least, the best at what we do. No one, for example, starts a business to make losses. They want to be the best to attract the best of customers.
Even if you are running at your own pace, remember that everybody wants what you want. Put in the work, and while at it, aim for excellence.

Hard on the training ground, easy on the field!:

If you see Simone Biles winning all the medals, her secret is training, and a lot of it. Like all other Olympians, she puts herself in her world because what she does is her world. The training ground is where all the mistakes you do not see happen. It is where one has to be hard on themselves so it would look easy on the field.
In life, we cannot do anything without preparation. Preparation gives us confidence. When people are prepared for a task, how they walk into a room says it all. Proper preparation expands our creativity. It makes winning look easy.
Those who win are not lucky. It is not because they found favor. It is because they prepared. Preparation is a stage one can never skip if one wants to win.

Anybody can make it to the top!:

Almost every medal winner at the Olympics has a fascinating story to share. Some failed several times in their attempt to win a medal. Others were born in places where winning on such a world stage was only a fairy tale. Today, with the benefit of hindsight, they can boldly declare that nobody was born to be first or last.

The top is for those who dare to not only dream but also pay the price of that dream. You can be as good as or even better than any legend you admire, as long as you are willing to make decisions that will take you to the top.

Winning is not a birthmark. No one was born to win naturally. No matter where you find yourself in the field of life, you can always finish your race if you dare to. Some may be privileged to be ahead of you, but that should not be enough of an excuse. Keep your focus. Keep running.

Kobina Ansah is a Ghanaian playwright and Chief Scribe of Scribe Communications.