When To Stop

 Simone Biles was in the news recently not for the usual reasons as she normally makes it to the headlines but for a different reason. Simone Biles withdrew from the US   Olympic gymnastic team. She sensed that her body and mind were not connected well which is very important for a gymnast. That connection is very important since that is the reason which enables athletes to perform complex movements safely. 

Athletes at every level are trained to give all they have to their sport. They work hard to be the best in their sport with great discipline, dedication, and focus. Coaches encourage and demand athletes to give all they got and sometimes more than what they have.  When athletes become successful the pressure becomes greater, now they don't have it coming only from coaches and teammates but additional actors like media and sponsors come to play.  Athletes drive themself to the brink physically and mentally. 

In a success-driven world of sport, athletes are mostly trained to achieve and go hard as much as they can. They are hardly taught to know when to stop and when to slow down. What stops a successful athlete is unfortunately injury. Because athletes don't have the skillset and the support to identify the time to stop, they plow through like they have been trained to make it to the top or keep themself at the top.  That is what made Simone Biles's decision unique because she knew exactly when to Stop which is a rare thing for an athlete at her level.