Cocky People

The people who participate in the Olympics are very amazing.  They have worked years to be there, and they all have great talent.  These people handle their successes in different ways.  It’s great to see the people who come from behind to be out the competition, when people’s expectation for them were nearly nothing.  But, there is also the other extreme.  These athletes are the ones that go into the competition expecting to win everything, and then they get nothing.  They are caught up too much in their pride and arrogance, and for it, they aren’t rewarded.  It just costs them dearly.  I don’t know if you’ve figured out how I’m talking about yet, but here he is:

Bode Miller

Bode Miller is an amazing athlete.  He is an alpine skier, and he went into the Torino Games with a chance at winning five medals.  His odds were very good, seeing all the other competitions that he has won.  From the first day, he didn’t impress me.  Walking into the opening ceremonies, he didn’t smile, and he didn’t wave.  He just acted like he was much better than anyone else.  Maybe he was, at the time, but he certainly isn’t anymore.  Then, throughout the week, he continued to do things that not only bugged me, but everyone.  It was easy to hear the reporter’s tone getting annoyed as he told of one more thing Bode had done.  He skipped practices or only used twenty minutes of his hour, or he didn’t go to inspections.  And then to top it all of, Bode was seen at bars.  Why in the world would you want to get drunk while you were at the Olympics???!  This annoyed me to no end.  His reactions were always the same, “I’m hearing feel the true spirit of the Games.”  Bode was not feeling the true spirit.  In fact, he missed it all together.  Given, the Olympics has to seem like a giant party, but they point is also to compete and do well.  Bode did not do this.  I understand how hard he’s worked to be there, and then he pretty much threw it all away.  How can he live with himself??  There was difficulty in the events he entered, but he can’t blame it all on luck that he didn’t win.

Then, you have his personal website: joinbode.com.  Bode had many commercials talking about his different views on life.  In a couple of these, it didn’t make sense.  His logic was very confusing and it took multiple times to figure out what he was saying.  Then, he has one that talks about validation.  He says that he doesn’t need anyone to tell him what they think and that their opinion doesn’t matter to him.  Well, it should matter a little more, because his awful attitude is hurting him.  Oh, and by the way, he looked slightly drunk in all of these.  Maybe that’s just what he looks like….

NBC did a final interview with him.  They asked him a lot of questions and his general attitude was, “I don’t care about you.  I’m too self-absorbed to worry about anything else.”  Bode talked about how he had watched the movie Miracle.  When asked about his Olympic dream, he said that he had always imagined that he would be the underdog coming in and beating everyone.  That would be very cool, but he needed to understand that he had to opportunity to win, but he didn’t care enough.  Bode said that you needed to have people like him so that the underdog stories could take place.  Lame.  Bob Costas was really ripping on him in the end.  He said (and truer words have never been spoken), “Eventually if you don’t care, people aren’t going to care about you.”  

Now I’m going to go back to the reason why I wrote this blog.  The whole Bode thing just happened to be a precursor.  I want to talk about cocky people in general.  It makes me so sad to see people with excellent talent becoming conceited.  They have so much going for them, but by being so proud, they’re wrecking so many good things that could happen!  It’s no fun to be around those you feel that they are superior to you.  I’m so sorry if I’ve ever given off this feeling, and I’m really trying to work not to.  People need to learn that they really aren’t that much better than other people.  Sure you could be better in school or sports or anything, but that doesn’t make you a better person.  These people have weaknesses just like everyone else.  Lots of times, these problems are a lot worse than the people they are judging themselves to.  So, just a note to you conceited/arrogant/self-absorbed people:

YOU AREN’T BETTER THAN US, SO GET OVER YOURSELF!    

Time

Time is such a precious thing.  It is one of the only things in this world that can never be made up or redone.  Once you have used the time, you can’t go back and change things.  I hate to feel like I am wasting time.  It is one of the things that has a great impact on my mood.  If I feel like nothing is being accomplished, I’m generally not happy about the situation.  

It’s very frustrating in school when you want to be learning, but either students in the class or the lack of preparation of the teachers make it impossible for you.  My time is too precious to watch a video that teaches me NOTHING and explains in first-grade terms what clouds are.  How is this supposed to help me succeed in my life?  It doesn’t have any benefit, expect being an easy filler.  Generally my favorites classes are the ones I have to work hard in.  It gives me a great feeling of accomplishment to know I had to actually study for something, and that I didn’t just pretend to learn it.

Be careful with your time.  It’s always a great regret to look back and see a missed opportunity.  In that same thought, though, know it’s okay not to take every opportunity that presents itself.  If you do everything, you will go crazy.  Take it from someone who slightly knows.  Most of all, just remember to jealously guard your time because it’s precious.

Compliments

“I can live for three months on a good compliment.”
-Mark Twain

Isn’t that true for all of our lives?  Doesn’t it just light up your day to have someone genuinely compliment you?  If we know that it can make such a great difference, not only in our own lives, but also in other people’s lives, too, why don’t we give more compliments?  It really doesn’t cause any pain to say, “Wow.  You look really nice today,” or “Great job on that.”  So, if we are aware of the simplicity or the matter, why don’t we do it?  Maybe a big reason is it is hard to tell people about their accomplishments, often because they are surpassing our own.  It is easier to be nice to those who we don’t consider as “competition.”  The people whose opinions we really value, though, are generally the ones that we are around and do the most with.  You also get the most satisfaction about being complimented by them.    

Another reason it is often hard to give compliments is because people are sometimes bad at receiving them.  It feels awkward when you’ve gone out on a limb to say something nice, and it is returned with, “I don’t look good.  This shirt is awful,” or whatever the case may be.  Who wants to say something nice when rudeness is returned?  This is where we all need to work.  When paid a compliment, be gracious and thank the person for it.  If you’ve done something good, appreciate that you’ve done something, but don’t get cocky about it.  I believe the easiest way to deal with compliments is to say something nice back.  It’s a great win-win situation because everyone walks away feeling better about their day.  So, just think what a better place this world would be if we would all compliment each other more often!

The Olympics

I am so excited that the Olympics have finally begun.  The Olympics are the best sporting events.  There are many reasons that I love them, but the main reason is the spirit that is felt while the games are taking place.  Everything seems better during the Olympics.

I love being able to cheer for people.  One nice thing about the Olympics is you aren’t biased towards anyone.  Sure, you want to see the USA do excellent, but you’re okay if you don’t.  The teams, at least for me, seem to kind of fade away, and I’m happy to see individuals do well.  It’s great to be able to cheer for some girl from Norway that is doing a great job.  It doesn’t matter that you’ve never heard of her before and that you won’t remember her in a week.  You’re still happy that she tried so hard and did such a great job.  Try to imagine how many people that you cheer for in the Olympics.  There are tons!  If you think back to the Athens 2004 games, though, how many names can you remember?  There are a few, and a couple experiences that stick out, but it doesn’t really matter.  During the Olympics, you also tend to tune out the bad/negative stories.  You can remember how excited you were to see Michael Phelps get all of those swimming medals, but it didn’t matter to you that someone was caught doing something illegal.

Isn’t it great to hear the inspirational stories that are told during the Olympics?  People have sacrificed so much to get there.  Not only have they spent incredible amounts of time training, they have also given up lots of other things that are important to them.  Many of the athletes have also fought back from difficulties, from injuries, to deaths, to financial troubles.  It inspires us to be better people because we’ve seen what they’ve done.  The commercials are also great.  Some people may argue that the commercials during the Super Bowl are the best, but I think that the Olympic ones are better.  At no other time is everyone encouraged to do his or her best.   Here is my favorite commercial.  It’s the Visa: Life Takes… one (It’s the first one in the row and sixty seconds long).  The best part is the beginning.  Sorry, don’t mean to be advertising.    

Once again, I have to say that the spirits of the games is the true reason people keep coming back.  What other event has 2 BILLION people watching worldwide?  There is an energy from the athletes that is felt nowhere else.   It’s great to watch them walk in during the Opening Ceremonies.  They all have smiles on their faces and are pleased to be involved in such an epic event.  That is one reason I love the USA so much.  They are the best to watch. They play, they smile, they dance, and they wave as they’re coming in.  They realize how hard they’ve worked and are now willing to have a good time.  I hate it when certain athletes *cough cough Bode Miller cough cough* act like they’re too good for it.  They don’t smile because they’re too “cool”.  It really just makes them look like idiots.  

Well, I hope that you’re willing to watch the Olympics.  They really are a big deal, and I’m sure if you’re willing to commit some time, you’ll enjoy them.

Laughter

Laughter is the best medicine.  Don’t you love to laugh?  I find it one of the most enjoyable experiences that we can have as a human being.  Recently, I have been laughing a ton.  It all began at my friend’s house, but since them, I haven’t been able to control my laughter.  It isn’t just the “hehe” laughter, it’s the “you have to sit down because you’re laughing and crying and can’t breath” laughter. But I guess that’s a good thing.  Don’t you always hear about how you’ll live longer if you smile and laugh?      

There are certain stories, such as the chipmunk story from Mrs. Watts/McEwen’s class.  Even thinking about this makes me want to roll on the floor with in laughter.  Or the Eww story.  When you get with a bunch of friends or family, everything suddenly becomes funny.  If I told the last story I mentioned, you probably would only crack a smile, but to me, I find it hilarious.  The way it was told was the best part.  I can envision each person and their part in it.  At the Science Olympiad competition yesterday, my friend retold it to this other girl, and, once again, I had to sit down because I was laughing so much, but it didn’t seem funny to the other girl.

Don’t you love funny people?  These are some of my favorite people to hang out with.  Some how they can make a joke out of everything.  They’re the best when they can do it without having it be at someone else’s expense.  A joke doesn’t have to be mean or crude to be funny.  Those are the worst types of jokes.  It’s a guilty laugh when those jokes are told, because people know that they really aren’t funny.  To be laughed at, a joke just has to be able to make you smile.

They more personal, in a good way, a joke is, the funnier it is.  That is one reason I love inside jokes.  Everyone has these jokes, that they share with friends and family, which can be recalled with just one word.  They are generally something simple, but they are still very funny.  The only problem with “inside jokes” is they exclude people.  It’s an awkward experience to be in a group where everyone, besides you, knows the joke.  Plus, when you’re in this situation, no one ever wants to explain because they say it’ll wreck the comicness of the matter.  It’s great when people are willing to tell these great stories, though, and you’re always grateful to be caught up on the matter.  

Once again, I love to laugh.  It’s such a fun experience.  It’s great to be around those who have a quick laugh and a ready smile.  It makes life seem better, even though it is hard at times.  So, be willing to laugh.  Realize when something is genuinely funny, but avoid laughing at or making fun of people.  If you know a funny joke, tell it!  Lastly, just remember to get over your self-consciousness and smile!    

PS- I just remembered one of my favorite quotes.  It goes along with this quite well.  Here is it:
"Laugh, and the world laughs with you; Weep, and you weep alone, for the sad, old earth must borrow its mirth, but has trouble enough of its own."
-Ella Wheeler Wilcox