6 Lessons from Nadia Comaneci
“I don’t run away from a challenge because I am afraid. Instead, I run toward it because the only way to escape fear is to trample it beneath your feet.”
Lessons from Nadia Comaneci
# 1 — You are never too young to win an Olympic gold medal and break a record.
Nadia Comaneci made history in the world of gymnastics. She broke two records in one go. At the age of 14 she became the first gymnast who scored 10 out of 10 in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada. Not just that, at the same time she was also the youngest gymnast to win a gold medal. Nowadays that record can’t be broken anymore since contestants have to be at least 16 years old. However, what can we learn from this? Don’t allow your age to limit you in reaching high. If you have talent and passion for a particular sport, show it to the world! That opportunity might never come back again!
# 2 — You need to have a specific goal in mind.
Nadia Comaneci believes that the reason why people fall short of their potential lies in the fact that they don’t think clearly about their specific goal, keeping it too vague and general. But sometimes also not being fully committed in achieving the goal, being lazy and not giving their best can result in failure. A goal doesn’t have to be always big, as long as it helps you in achieving something in your life that you are proud of because it made a positive difference.
# 3 — Learn to let go of your mistakes.
If you made mistakes in the past, it’s important to learn how to let go of them. If you are not able to do that, it will drag you back from reaching success and your concentration will suffer, no doubt about that. Instead learn from them, move on and get better in your sport discipline.
# 4 — It doesn’t matter where you were born.
When you watch the Olympics you will learn that it doesn’t really matter in what country you were born. Nadia Comaneci came from Romania. She is the best example on how far you can get, if you put in a lot of hard work, focus and determination. You can become a sport success wherever you live.
# 5 — It’s difficult to win but to repeat it is even more difficult.
Being an Olympic Champion is great, but defending the title the following four years is even more difficult. In 1976 the name ‘Nadia Comaneci’ was just a name. But after the Olympic Games of Montreal, everyone wanted to know who Nadia Comaneci was. Defending her title four years later was surely a challenge.
# 6 — It takes only one person to make a sport popular.
Nadia Comaneci did not just break two records but her achievement at that time also helped tremendously in making the sport of gymnastics much more popular. Once you achieve a great result, people will notice and it can help in promoting that particular sport even further.
