One of the scenes that stood out the most at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics wasn’t during the competition. It was a moment shortly after the last skater’s score was announced in the ladies free skate – the score that determined podium placement for three talented athletes.
American skater Alysa Liu realized she had just won the gold, but one of her first actions was to celebrate the bronze medal won by a 17-year-old first-time Olympian from Japan. Asked about that moment during an interview, she said:
“Human connection is what I’m all about and I love sisterhood. I’m an older sister myself and I carry it on with – I would call her a teammate of sorts. We’re all in this sport together so we share the love.”
Lack of connection and loneliness were contributing factors to the burnout that led Liu to step away from the sport at age 16. Her unprecedented comeback has been fueled in part by investing in relationships that keep her grounded and discovering a higher purpose for skating than simply winning.
Alysa’s story reminds me of some lessons that I learned about burnout earlier in my career. I wrote about Alysa’s story and my own journey for SmartBrief on Leadership. I hope it is a helpful reminder that reconnecting relationally and finding meaning in what we do can help us find the path forward.
Photo by freestocks on Unsplash
