Conquering Fear at the Vancouver Winter Olympics

Taking a lesson from the athletes of the winter Olympics and overcoming your own fears, remember, 'You can't score if you don't take a shot.'

Overcoming fear of pain. Downhill skier Lindsey Vonn severely bruised her shin during training last month and feared it might prevent her from competing in the Vancouver Olympics. But she gave it a try anyway, saying before the race, "It's tough…I know what I have to do. I know how to ski. It's just fighting the pain." And fight it she did, winning the gold medal in the women's downhill.

Afterwards, commenting on her efforts, she said, "Nothing comes for free." You may have your own pain - physical or emotional - to work through as you are pursuing your goals. Keep in mind the determination you need to succeed as you struggle to prevail.

Overcoming fear of pleasure. Lindsey Jacobellis skid off course in the snowboard cross semi-finals, once more loosing any chance at a medal. After first feeling frustrated, she told reporters of her thoughts, "I still can have fun in some way. I just felt like doing a nice, fun truck-driver grab, that's the spirit that it is."

Other competitive snowboarders agreed with her attitude. Nate Holland commented, "It's not always about winning. It's about fun, style, showing your stuff." And Nick Baumbartner explained, "it's not about the finish…It's all about the journey. It's all about taking the wild ride." So, even when you're in the midst of a competitive trial of your own, don't forget to enjoy the process - have fun and be playful.

Rely on your courage, endurance and sense of fair play as you meet your challenges and achieve success. You may not receive a gold medal but you can be a winner just the same.

Coping with Fear at the Vancouver Winter Olympics

Watching the jumps, races and lifts at the Winter Olympics can make us gasp with awe at the amazing feats the athletes have accomplished. While preparing themselves through practice and hard work, they have had to make modifications and take risks in their behavior. While as a Sandwiched Boomer yours may be less dramatic, nevertheless they are just as important to you.

Overcoming fear of risks. In order to succeed as an Olympiad, athletes need to conquer their fear of the unknown and go for the gold anyway. As Canadian hockey great Wayne Gretzky has said, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take." Snowboarder Shaun White understands taking measured risks and won the men's halfpipe gold medal by hard work and his readiness to take chances. Although he was already the winner after his first run, he chose to attempt his difficult, signature moves in a second run.

Exuberant after accomplishing his 'Double McTwist 1260,' he said, "I have fun, I have dreams, I have goals, and I'm just now trying to do them." After preparation of your own, outline the risks you feel comfortable tackling and then address them with gusto.

Overcoming fear of change. With the poor weather conditions in Vancouver, many Olympic events have been postponed, throwing schedules into disarray. Athletes need to adjust to these shifts without a decrease in their readiness to compete. One athlete who initiated her own major change was figure skater Yuko Kawaguchi who gave up her Japanese citizenship and moved to Russia to be trained by legendary coach, Tamara Moskvina.

Although she did not medal at the Games, she lived her dedication to her sport by her move. When you are forced to modify your own original strategy, don't hesitate to put your Plan B into action. It just might be a winner.