Have you been swept up by Olympic fever? The domination of the television coverage, tweets, texts and news reports has made it difficult to avoid. The talk around the proverbial water cooler has certainly surrounded the Olympics.

The diversity of events provide something to appeal to most everyone: ski cross, ice skating, speed skating, curling, biathlon, bobsled and of course hockey. Although the events are diverse, the commonality is the perseverance of the athletes. The years of dedication and practice. The patience. The precision. The skill. The stamina. The drive.

And though we celebrate moments of triumph when medals are hung around the athletes’ necks, there are also moments of heartbreak. Those years of persistence and practice seem all for naught when a fall, mistake or misstep push the medals out of reach. How devastating to think that years of dedication can end in a loss by hundredths of a second or mere millimetres.

Regardless of their rank or whether or not they land on the podium, the athletes entertaining us in the Olympics, those who make us gasp and cheer, are most certainly successful by the very fact that they are Olympians. They are the best in their field.

As the Olympic flame is extinguished, let us be inspired to persevere and persist in our own lives, wherever our passions lie.