An Olympic Mind

Here is a snippet of a motivation letter I received from 2007 World Track Cycling Champion, Sarah Hammer. I hope you find this motivating.

"It' hard to believe that in five months our United States Olympic Team will be under the spotlight, performing in front of the biggest television audience ever - anticipated to be four billion people.

I think of something much greater. I think of my country.

You see, the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, this August will put the spotlight on all Americans.

Although I am currently the reigning World Track Cycling Champion, I know that my past achievements have intensified the pressure on me to perform. There are many incredibly gifted and determined athletes in my sport who want to win as well.

And the situation is no different for our swimmers, archers, pole-vaulters, decathletes , and gymnasts. In every sport, we face formidable challenges. China is putting together an incredibly strong team, as are Russians, Australians, and Germans, just to name a few.

To win in Beijing, we have to train harder than we ever have before. We have to stay healthy, even as we push ourselves to the limit."