Today is the start of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games here in Vancouver and there is much to celebrate.

It is wonderful that humans are able to come together to play. Sport is play and the Olympics bring all the people who like to play together and the rest of us watch them do it. How wonderful. No other animal enjoys being or having an audience as much as we do.

Sports are not really my thing. I enjoy doing them but have never really wanted to watch others do them. Watching another person engaged in physical activity is available in every city, often through plate glass windows in the gyms and exercise clubs of modern cities. If you want to see people sweat it is free. Stand outside, preferably with my latte and watch the others “go for it”. So why do we get so excited about the Olympics?

The Olympic Spirit is really the human spirit at its best. It is about all of our hopes and dreams brought to life. It is about struggle and achievement. Each of us is an athlete in our own lives. Each of has to overcome obstacles to our own success. Each of us sets goals and then either reaches them or does not. Olympic Spirit is really Human Spirit.

So today let me invite you to an awards ceremony. You deserve a gold medal for your achievements. You have undertaken many things in your lifetime and today you are a success not just because you have achieved things but also because you have lost and struggled and still continue to pursue new goals. You are now, as of today, right here, awarded with a Gold Medal for outstanding achievement in your own life. Go out and celebrate with your friends and family. Who you are is amazing and your contribution to the world is important and appreciated.