The Winter Olympics, Comebacks, and the Courage to Decide for Yourself

There’s something about the Winter Olympics that does something to us.

Even if you’re not normally glued to sport. Even if you only tune in every four years.

There’s a collective lift.
A pride.
A sense of shared effort and possibility.

We cheer for people we’ve never met.
We feel invested in hundredths of a second.
We talk about “our” medals.

And in those moments, there’s something deeply human about it.

We love watching people push themselves.

What we’re less comfortable with?

Watching them choose.

The comeback that divided opinion

When Lindsey Vonn announced her comeback, the reaction was… mixed.

Some celebrated it. Some questioned it.

Some criticised her age.
Her body.
Her history of injuries.
Her motives.

And then when she dared to race with a torn ACL, the criticism grew louder.

Should she?
Was it wise?
Was it ego?
Was it reckless?

The world had opinions. As it always does.

The uncomfortable truth about other people’s decisions

What struck me wasn’t whether she should have raced. It was how quickly we feel entitled to evaluate someone else’s choice.

And I see this everywhere, not just in elite sport.

A woman returns to work.
She’s judged.

A woman steps back from work.
She’s judged.

Someone pushes through pain.
They’re reckless.

Someone opts out.
They lack resilience.

Whatever the choice - someone has something to say.

And the problem isn’t that opinions exist.

The problem is when we begin to doubt our own judgment because of them.

The real pressure

What fascinates me most is that very few of the people criticising have ever stood at the start gate of a World Cup downhill.

Very few understand what it feels like to compete at that level.

And yet the opinions carry weight.

This is what happens in everyday life too.

People comment on:

• your business decisions

• your parenting choices

• your career shifts

• your body

• your ambition

• your timing

Often from a place of limited context.

And yet we absorb it.

We question ourselves.

We shrink slightly.

Autonomy is uncomfortable - especially for others

When you choose - boldly, visibly, unapologetically - it can unsettle people.

Not because your choice is wrong.

But because it forces them to confront what they might not choose.

And that’s uncomfortable.

So criticism is often less about the decision itself and more about what it stirs in the observer.

The Olympic reminder

The Winter Olympics remind us of something powerful:

Courage isn’t just racing at 130km/h.

It’s deciding.

Deciding to come back.
Deciding to stop.
Deciding to push.
Deciding to protect your body.
Deciding to take the risk.

And standing by that decision.

Whether the world applauds or not.

A quiet question

Where in your life are you letting someone else’s opinion weigh more heavily than your own lived experience?

Not because you lack intelligence. Not because you lack awareness.

But because external noise is loud.

There is wisdom in listening to advice.

There is growth in feedback.

But there is also strength in recognising:

They can rarely relate.

Your body.
Your context.
Your values.
Your timing.

Those are yours.

And sometimes the most courageous thing you can do is trust them.