Following her incredible performance last week at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Simone Biles continues to prove to the world that she is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time… dare I say THE greatest gymnast of all time.
Scoring over 30 world titles, being crowned the most decorated gymnast in history and creating five signature moves that are now recognised across internationally, Biles breaks the boundaries within her sport and consistently proves to the world that nothing is impossible. Yet, one of the greatest things about her is that she also proves to us that it's okay to be human. There are moments, days and weeks that will be challenging but above all, it's important to remain humble, gracious and a little bit goofy through it all.
Take a look below at some of the greatest lessons we can take from Simone Biles' career, and how we can channel her energy into potentially becoming GOAT’s in wherever our passions may lie:
Find your passions - it will take you far.
Starting gymnastics at the age of six with no prior experience, Biles appeared to be a natural at the sport. She “instantly fell in love” with tumbling in the gym and her passions continued to grow as she found her community, and was encouraged to compete across the country. She preaches that the reason she found it easy to make sacrifices to spend hours in the gym training was because it “didn’t feel like work…. (she) found it fun”. As she began dominating the sport, it appeared Biles was different from the typical culture of competitive gymnasts. She was often seen joking around and laughing in between events, and although this was typically frowned upon by coaches, her athleticism and success across the board ultimately demonstrated that it was more than okay to “have a little more fun, smile more and enjoy gymnastics”.
So to sum up: Follow in our queen's steps, head to your local gymnastics centre and try out a few double back pike flips on the balance beams. You may even win a few olympic medals…JUST JOKINGG, please don’t do this. I will not be taking responsibility for any injuries xoxo.
What we CAN learn here is to apply this mentality to our everyday lives and that it’s possible to turn our passions into a career. Finding your purpose appears to be the “magic sauce” of life, and Biles shows us that your motivation and resilience will naturally follow suit. Perhaps for us that could take the form of enrolling in that interesting university class, starting your half marathon training, or whipping out your old knitting needles?! Simply invest time into things that genuinely floats your boat.
2. Resilience & Determination can take you anywhere you want in life.
As noted above, Biles had to work incredibly hard to achieve her goals. Her coach Cecile Landi mentions that even now Simone “does not skip workouts… (she) puts in the hours” to perfect her routines before taking them to the world stage. Spending sometimes years learning certain skills, she explains that her unmatched talent did not just come naturally but took a great deal of time to develop. Her dedication in the gym took sacrifice, unable to participate in the typical highschool experience, growing up she “trained for six to eight hours a day” in the gym. Now she currently holds a record breaking 37 championships and olympic medals, and according to Biles her “biggest competition is (herself).” She sets a new standard of difficulty and performance within the sport, not only perfecting traditional skills but creating a new level of excellence for gymnasts around the globe having five skills named after her across three Olympic events.
Taking from Biles’ example, we can apply this thesis directly to our lives. Work hard at whatever you commit to in order to harness the opportunities around you. Spend a few extra hours doing the readings for your classes because you WANT to learn the content (fully calling myself out there), take the time to perfect that new skill at work, push yourself to stay healthy and keep to your goals for the semester. And when life knocks you down, make sure to get up and try again until you achieve what you set out to do.
3. Taking care of your mind is so important.
Following the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, Biles openly discusses how her anxieties of withdrawing from the womens’ team final was “one of the hardest decisions (she) ever had to make”... and that she “felt like (she) failed her country”. This is an incredibly powerful message as despite being one of the highest performing athletes in the world & with the pressure of the world on her back, she highlights that sometimes you need to make the tough decision to take a step back. She states that “putting (her) mental… health first will probably be one of (her) greatest accomplishments”, as unknowingly she sparked the conversation of mental health within the sport and proved to the world the importance of taking breaks when necessary, seeking therapy and understanding your own mental limits.
What we can learn here is that understanding your boundaries is that your mental health is just as important (if not more) than your physical wellbeing. It’s okay to take some time away from the stresses of everyday life, engage in a little retail therapy and communicate to those around you when you may be struggling.
4. Having a support system is ESSENTIAL!
Simone often mentions that her passion for gymnastics is driven by her support system. She makes clear that her success is not just about her, but that it’s also because of her parents who allowed her to pursue her sport, her fiance that cheers her on every single day and her teammates & coaches that push her to be better. Biles outlines that she “would not be where she is today without her crew” as they boost her morale even in the hardest of times. Following the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, she was not sure if she would return to the sport and “was… scared of gymnastics”. However, it was through the encouragement from those around her and watching the passion of her team that brought her back to training and even led to her triumphing on the world stage yet again at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Biles communicates that building your own support system is essential. Find the people that will build you up, that will encourage you to find your passions and achieve your goals. Surround yourself with people that remind you that the thing you’re stressing about is probably NOT the end of the world. And ultimately, life’s so much more enjoyable when you have other people to share it with <3
*(shout out here to my sammily - you guys are my support system xoxo ).
5. Enjoy the ride - have fun with it!
Finally, our queen Simone Biles preaches the importance of ENJOYING THE JOURNEY!!!
One of my favourite things about her is that without failure she keeps a smile on her face, she isn’t afraid to have a laugh with her teammates, and always prioritises filming an fun tiktok. She mentions that she “tries to stay present along the journey”, to appreciate all of her accomplishments and to celebrate the little wins just as much as the big ones. Biles could be described as ✨ very mindful, very demure ✨ as she remains extraordinarily humble and has come to appreciate both the ups and downs of her journey.
In the midst of focusing on becoming the best boss queens & kings the corporate world has ever seen, it can be extremely easy to lose sight of all the amazing things that you are accomplishing in the present moment. If you don’t take anything else from this article, make sure you at least understand this lesson from Biles. Try to make the most of your university life, enjoy the campus experience and seeing your best friends everyday, & even try to embrace those classes and assignments because they will go by in a flash!
Finally to sum up, by channelling the incredible Simone Biles we can learn invaluable lessons that will allow us to level up and become the Greatest of All Time in whichever aspect of life we may choose. Try to find your passions, work hard in all that you do, focus on your mental health, find your support systems and finally make sure to enjoy the ride. ❤️❤️
By Madeline Page <3
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