While watching the Olympians go for the gold in Rio de Janeiro Brazil, it seems a little hard to comprehend that we also have the opportunity to go for the gold. Some of those Olympians are our age, some are younger. At 18, I watched a guy my age win third place in a swimming event. My age, and he stood on the podium and received a bronze medal. All I'm doing is going to college! At least, that's what it feels like. But what we don't always realize is that we are going for the gold: we are trying to reach our true potential.

Here are a few steps we all take in going for our personal gold.

1. Deciding Where Our Potential Lies.

An important part of achieving your potential is deciding where that potential lies, whether as a scholar, an athlete, a mother, a father, an author, a teacher, a politician, or any of the countless other options. Choosing where to use your talents and your limitless potential is exciting and sometimes confusing. Despite the difficulty in making the decision, this is vital in reaching your potential, since you can’t go anywhere until you’ve made a choice

2. Making And Keeping Goals.

Many people, myself included, have a hard time with goals. I tend to make too many and only achieve a few. But effectively making and keeping goals will definitely help as each of us heads for our true potential. This can take practice, and for sure not every goal you set in life will be one you keep perfectly, but setting goals and keeping them is very satisfying- and very good for someone trying to reach their potential, since that is a goal in and of itself.

3. Accepting Our Own Imperfections.

This is one of the most difficult things anyone can do. Accepting imperfections and mistakes can be like pulling teeth, especially when you finally have to admit to yourself that you still have things to work on. Although it can be a challenge, it’s important to accept flaws and faults as we progress. If you don’t accept you have a flaw, then you can’t improve and better yourself by working at your flaws and imperfections to make them better. This is something all of us work on each day, sometimes making progress, and sometimes turning around and diving in the wrong direction. Nobody is perfect, but we’re all trying to get there.

4. Last But Not Least… Going For The Gold No Matter What.

There are always little bumps (and sometimes big bumps) in the road to achieving your true potential. Plans change, people change, and sometimes an unexpected trial will throw a roadblock in front of you just when you think you’re going to make it to that podium. Don’t let it stop you! Keep going for the gold. You can get there. Even when it seems absolutely impossible, you can do it. You may not be able to do it until after the trial, or maybe you switch your plan halfway through and it sets you back, but you will make it. Going through life is as hard as any Olympic sport, so don’t fret if sometimes life slows you down.

Each and every one of us has the opportunity to go for the gold and find our true potential. So as we watch the Olympians competing for the gold for the next couple of weeks, let us all look into our own lives to see what we can do to go for the gold.