So, the Olympic Games have come to a close. The athletes will be flying back, and their stories of struggle and failure or triumph will make the waves for weeks, if not years to come. The last verse of the #WhatItTakes Olympic Manifesto dropped today. Shane Koyczan is back, and it is fitting. Here it is, then.
There is a war you wage on yourself every time you attempt to do better
The letter of resignation you wrote is a no thank you note you keep using for target practice
THIS is what it takes.
These are the brakes you cut to keep yourself from slowing down,
To keep yourself from stopping,
Topping your last achievement will never ever take less effort than your maximum.
What takes you from start to finish is more than the muscle around your bones.
May exhaustion turn your arms into the stones you must lift if ever you claim victory
May gravity always be the foe that prevents you from taking flight
May there forever be more fight in the other guy
May you be blessed with the nightmare of constantly asking yourself why you should keep going?
Knowing the boundaries of your reach will teach you to extend past them.
Do not CONDEMN failure
You will come to know it
You will be crestfallen
You will be beat down
You will at times drown in the drought of your determination
You will stumble
You will make mistakes
You will learn there was a level beyond the hard way.
THIS is your education
THIS is what it takes!
-Shane Koyczan
Tomorrow will feature the entire Manifesto. Stay tuned!
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