The Celebration Continues…

Author: Shannon Miller

July, 29th, 2019

I’ve never been one to look back too often. Growing up I was always moving forward at a rapid tempo. Life was hurdling down the runway at top speed. If I made a mistake or faced a challenge, I got through the best I could and moved forward. If I was successful, there was little time spent patting myself on the back. Instead I was on to the next goal.

I don’t really know if it’s a good thing or not. Like everything in life, I think probably a bit of balance matters most. In some ways it helps me. Being forward-focused, goal oriented, and maybe a little stubborn in the quest for the next achievement —whether that was learning a new move on balance beam, graduating with my class, or taking on a new business challenge.

The accolades were never the goal. Instead, it was the idea of achieving something that, in the back of my mind, I may not have truly believed possible. It was proving to myself that I could do more than what was expected.

Now, 23 years to the day, from one of the most amazing moments of my life I try to stop and take a moment to appreciate that success. The success not just by my efforts, but from so many who had helped me achieve that goal.

Life throws us all kinds of challenges and all kinds of wonderful moments. I realize, now more than ever, that instead of traveling ever faster through those moments, it’s important to take them in, live in the moment, cherish the good times, and learn from the not-so-good times. Each moment, and how we deal with it, makes us who we are, strengthens us.

When we make it to the other side of a big challenge we find and reveal a little more about ourselves and how resilient we can be. Whether it’s a rough week of chemo circa 2011, or the challenges and wonders of motherhood (circa the last decade, lol) each success and each failure teaches us something. It reminds us that we are so much more than we often give ourselves credit for.

probably a bit of balance matters most. In some ways it may have helped me. I was focused forward, goal oriented, maybe a little stubborn in the quest for the next achievement whether that was learning a new move on balance beam or graduating with my class.

The accolades were not the goal. It was the idea of achieving something that, in the back of my mind, I may not have truly believed possible. It was proving to myself that I could do more than what was expected.

Now, 23 years to the day, from one of the most amazing moments of my life I try to stop and take a moment to appreciate that success. The success not just by my efforts but from so many that had helped me achieve that goal.

Life throws us all kinds of challenges and all kinds of wonderful moments. I realize, more than ever, that instead of traveling ever faster through those moments, it’s important to take them in, live in the moment, cherish the good times and learn from the not-so-good times. Each moment, and how we deal with it, makes us who we are, strengthens us.

When we make it to the other side of a big challenge we find and reveal a little more about ourselves and how resilient we can be. Whether it’s a rough week of chemo circa 2011, or the challenges and wonders of motherhood (circa the last decade, lol) each success and each failure teaches us something. It reminds us that we are so much more than we often give ourselves credit for.

Twenty-three years ago today, I won my first individual Olympic Gold Medal on balance beam during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. It was a rocky road to get there that included a step out of bounds during the All-Around competition that slashed any chance of a medal that night. I was devastated, heartbroken. (I mean, not that I ever think about it.) I went into the vault final expecting to redeem myself. I didn’t have the difficulty on both vaults that others had on this event, but I could do these vaults. I could represent my country well and land on my feet. Or so I thought. With a fluke misstep on my run I was off from the start on this run I’d done over a thousand times before! What seemed like the whole world watched as landed on my backside. Again, devastated.

What was going on? Did I belong in this competition? Was I “past my prime?” Tired? I had one last event, the last 90 seconds of my entire Olympic career and it all came down to… balance beam!! Four inches wide, the most feared event in all of gymnastics, and this was what I had to look forward to. I was scared. What if I fall? What if I fail? What if I let everyone down?

The night of balance beam finals I walked onto the podium and saluted the judges for the last time of my Olympic career. I recalled a conversation I had with my Mom after the vault fiasco. She had reminded me that I had done the work. In training, other competitions. I may not have been as naturally talented, as strong, as powerful, as flexible as other athletes. I had always relied on the work. I could out work anyone. She said “Shannon, you’ve done the work. At other competitions, during training. You can walk into that arena, head held high, knowing that whatever happens next, you know you have done everything that you could possibly do leading up to this moment to get it right. And that’s all anyone can ask of you. That’s all that you can ask of yourself.” After that she gently reminded me to appreciate the moment, the opportunity, the ability to go out an compete on the Olympic stage. Instead of thinking about all the negatives that could happen, I forced myself to think only of being thankful for the opportunity that lay ahead.

That night of event finals, as I held my hands over the beam, I took an extra deep breath and decided to truly enjoy the moment, to soak it all in. Still, it was probably the fastest 90 seconds of my life!

All of a sudden, I was at the end of the beam ready for the dismount. I hurdled toward the end of the beam, one twist, two flips. When I felt my feet hit the floor and I realized I was standing up!! It was the most amazing feeling. The mix of emotions, the joy excitement, the relief!

I saw my coaches jumping up and down on the sideline and I think I saluted that judge, lol. At that moment I didn’t know what the score was, if there was a medal, what color it might be. I just wanted to live in the moment. That moment when all the hard work, from everyone, paid off.

If I’m ever in doubt about the importance of setting long-term and short-term goals, about getting back up after a fall, about believing in ourselves and what we can accomplish when we persevere, all I have to think about is that moment.

So, on this day, 23 years later, I’ll take a moment to cherish that time, to be thankful for the opportunity and to appreciate the bumps along the way. While I remain driven and goal

oriented, life has taught me to appreciate and celebrate the incredible moments along the way.

Today, celebrate something. Big, small, doesn’t matter. Celebrate you, celebrate life, celebrate what you’ve learned from a flat-out failure. Let’s just celebrate!