Despite all the odds that were stacked up, the Olympics officially started today (with some events already underway before inauguration). One normally associates sentiments like Grit, Determination, Perseverance when thinking of Olympics so it was quite heartwarming to hear the following story which has humanity and compassion written all over it
In Mar '21 World #1 Croatian rifle shooter Petar Gorsa was tested Covid+ on arrival in India and couldn't patriciate in the event. During this frustrating time,he got care from the National Rifle Association of India NRAI) for his treatment. But what touched him the most was NRAI president Raninder Singh's gesture. Raninder hosted the shooter at his own home in Delhi during his recovery phase.
Fast forward to May, with Covid causing havoc in India, it wasn't possible to host the training camp for the shooters. They were losing precious time 2 months before the Olympics. Petar spoke with NRAI chief and learned about their plans to host training camp in Croatia. From getting the Indians' paperwork done to get permissions from ministries, to booking the hotels and finding India restaurants in Zagreb, Gorsa did that that was needed to ensure that the visitors get the best of everything during their stay in Croatia.
The act of giving that he received while in India changed Petar's perspective about life. He says:
"Once I am done with the sport,I don't want to be remembered for my medals. I want to be remembered as a responsible & honourable man"
(source: https://bit.ly/3fiY7er).
This story reminded me of learnings from one of my all time favorite books- Adam Grant's Give and Take. Find the book summary in my sketchnote.
Adam wonderfully explains through real life examples that you can be a Giver and a successful person at the same time . He goes on to divide Givers into 2 categories: 1. Selfless Givers and 2. Otherish Givers. The Selfless Giver is the one who's generous in helping people out but his/her personal productivity is affected. On the other hand, Otherish Givers are those people who genuinely help other people but they're also ambitious and make sure that their own personal goals are achieved.
Petar selflessly helped Indians but at the same time worked on his training. He said "There is still time and I can get back to my training.."
Not all of us get a chance to give back as Petar did but nonetheless we can always be forthcoming and create opportunities to pay it forward.
What's your perspective here?
#givingback #payitforward #giving #replug
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