by Lindsey Brackett, @LindsBrac

Probably my most Facebook engagement (post-algorithms) in February came from asking how we could best watch the Olympics without a regular cable provider. Usually, I don’t miss television. Netflix, Prime, and Redbox get it done.

But every two years I plan to buy an antenna or sign up for a free trial.

The Olympic spirit gets me. Some of my most vivid memories are Olympic moments like Derek Redmond’s limp across the finish line in Barcelona.

They’re like a great novel I pull off the shelf every once in a while just so I can revel in the happy ending.

Which is why I got to thinking as I watched Shaun White make history before I checked my Amazon sales rank—there’s a lot writers can learn from these athletes.

You can win gold one day but be done the next. 

Lindsey Vonn came for her third Olympics after winning gold and being plagued by injury. Not only did Vonn lose the Super-G, fellow competitor and the reigning World Champion from Austria was ousted as well—by one-hundredth of a second.

How many times does this happen to us? We win a writing contest only to get a rejection from a publisher the next day. Where there is gold, there is also silver, bronze, and standing room around the podium.

You can be the best and still not medal.

Nathan Chen came to Pyeongchang undefeated and already a legend. But his debut short program in the team event was called “abysmal” after a fall. The USA pulled him from the event and substituted Adam Rippon. Then the next week, at the individual event, Chen’s short skate again did not make him look like a medalist. Miraculously, he turned it around for his free skate. He landed how many quad jumps?

Enough to make the history books but not enough to win a medal.

Your book can win awards but not have sales. Or you can top the bestseller list and never get a Christy nomination. Your debut may break records, but your sophomore work may tumble. In the business of writing—or professional sports—one day at the top does not guarantee you the next.

There is no magic formula for winning (or selling books).

Practice makes perfect, sure, but that doesn’t mean you’ll always be perfect when it counts. At the end of the day, an Olympic medal or a bestseller tag depends on two things:

How you did.

How everyone else did.

Only one of those situations is somewhat in your control.

Be proud—even if you finish last you’re still an Olympian.

Mexican cross-country skier German Medrazo competed in his first and last Olympics at age 43. He finished last but wore a gold medal smile when he crossed that finish line.

Because no matter what, he will always be an Olympian.

What about you? Will you always be an author, a writer, a storyteller—even if you endure years of rejection and sluggish sales? Even if the ratings place you last? There may be a lot of books in the world but writing one still sets you apart from the crowd.

Your team matters but everyone else isn’t going to like you.

For every individual Olympic win, there is a team accolade. Who’s on your team? Will they rejoice in your successes even as theirs may fail? And will you do the same for them?

Build a strong team around yourself, because someone will always be lurking to cast doubt and critique upon your work. Everyone doesn’t like the same things. Truly—how many of you actually watched curling?

But at the end of the day, you want to know: you have a team and they are cheering for you.

What lessons did you learn from the Olympics in 2018?

Lover of all things literary and Southern, Lindsey’s favorite days are spent on the back porch, sweet tea in hand, writing stories, reading books, and mentoring authors. Still Waters, her southern fiction debut, released in 2017. Connect with her at lindseypbrackett.com, on Facebook as Lindsey P. Brackett, or Instagram @lindseypbrackett.