Success

Success. That ever elusive word and feeling we continually try to define and capture. Reflecting on last week’s World Championships, I see it yet again in a new light. As a young athlete, it’s easy to define success in terms of trophies, medals, records, dollars, and titles. After all, isn’t that how we measure all the GOATs? How many rings, green jackets, world titles, gold medals? But is that all that really matters? Are those accolades even what we chalk them up to be?

When you listen to those who have them reflect (Scottie Scheffler’s recent interview, the Simone Biles and Michael Phelps documentaries) it doesn’t seem like the hardware is all that fulfilling. It’s a luxury of those who have them to tell you how little they meant in retrospect. I’m not saying they’re not important or valuable—they are, and it’s a bottom line for many organizations—but will they bring you joy and fulfillment? Probably not. It’s the veteran athletes and seasoned coaches who say how fleeting those award ceremonies and “success” moments are, and I’m starting to realize why. 

There’s another metric of success I found my focus fixed on this week: the effect you have on others. I’ve been to 7 World Championships, and I’d be hard pressed to name the podiums for each one, who made finals and who didn’t, what the scores or records were. But I can tell you exactly how each and every one of my teammates, competitors, and coaches makes me feel. I see bravery personified in their actions. I know what courage, discipline, grit, and resilience look like: @mollycarlson getting back up for quad after slipping off in Italy, and @katwthehat hitting handstand after last year’s tumultuous battle are just a couple examples of how incredible these people are. People…that’s it isn’t it. There’s a person behind the athleticism that the shallow definition of success defined by results forgets.

I’ve felt encouragement and compassion before and after every single dive, regardless of the judges scores. I know what it’s like to be virtuous, joyful, confident, and fulfilled, and it has nothing to do with degree of difficulty, angle on entry, or competition results. It has everything to do with how we treat each other, the connections and memories we make, and the lasting impact we leave.

The values of sport (and life) shine through our actions—much brighter and longer lasting than any trophy or record title. Thank you to my cliff diving brothers and sisters who help me realize how successful we all truly are, and how grateful I am to be a part of this.

How do you define success? A revolving question I’m sure I’ll come back to, but for now it looks like this.