Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of the human spirit. We are all the same in this notion, the potential for greatness lives within each of us. No matter what accomplishments you make, somebody helps you. The feeling of accomplishment welled up inside of me, three olympic gold medals. I knew that was something nobody could ever take away from me, ever. I ran and ran and ran every day, and I acquired this sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never give up, no matter what else happened. I believe in me more than anything in this world. What do you do after you are world famous and nineteen or twenty and you have sat with prime ministers, kings and queens, the Pope? Do you go back home and take a job? What do you do to keep your sanity? You come back to the real world. The triumph cannot be had without the struggle. And I know what struggle is. I have spent a lifetime trying to share what it has meant to be a woman first in the world of sports so that other young women have a chance to reach their dreams. When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome. When I was going through my transition of being famous, I tried to ask God why was I here? what was my purpose? Surely, it wasn't just to win three gold medals. There has to be more to this life than that. Sometimes it takes years to really grasp what has happened to your life. |