W h a t  i s  i t  y o u  p l a n  t o  d o  w i t h  y o u r  o n e  w i l d  a n d  p r e c i o u s  l i f e ?

"I'm going to be an Olympic diver", I confidently declared as a knock-kneed, chubby 10 year-old. "Sure Mike - go for it", responded my supportive but somewhat sceptical family. "Off to the Olympics hey", quipped highly dubious school friends, "good luck mate!"

Something about the Olympic movement lit a fire inside me. Olympians were my heroes. I wanted to become one. "Citius, Altius, Fortius" - "Swifter, Higher, Stronger" - became my daily mission. Eventually, after eight years and 135,750 practice dives, I earned my ticket to the Barcelona Olympics.

Finally arriving at the destination was satisfying, but my overwhelming realisation was that the greatest rewards were in the journey itself - a notion captured in the Olympic creed:

"The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win but to take part, just as the most important thing in life is not the triumph but the struggle. The essential thing is not to have conquered but to have fought well."

I want to teach my children (the first arriving this June!) that a life lived in the spirit of the Olympic creed is richly rewarding. It's not about winning. It's not about fame. It's not about fortune. It's about relishing the satisfaction that comes from simply striving to become the best person you can be.

– Michael Murphy

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