By Nathan Moulton
Besides the drunk and bitter U.S. skier Bode Miller, Olympians are the personification of ambition. They work so hard at sports that are often forgotten for four-year intervals between Olympics. And when the time comes to shine, they give it their best and are just grateful for the chance to be there. After all, just being there means they are among the best in the world.
For me, ambition has always been somewhat of a mystery - probably because I don''t have a lot of it. I wish I did. But the more I think about it, the more I wonder if true ambition is something that can''t really be developed. A person must be born with it.
Watching the Olympics and pondering this concept reminded me of an experience I had several months ago when I watched tennis player Roger Federer beat the great Andre Agassi in the finals of the U.S. Open. As I sat there on my couch, watching the officials present the champion with $1.1 million and a free Lexus after the match, I thought to myself, 'What is wrong with me?'
I''m the same age as Federer. Well, if you want to get technical, he''s actually four months my senior. Four months really shouldn''t make that big of a difference though, should it?
Let''s do a little comparison. Federer gets $1.1 million dollars for winning a few tennis matches in a couple of weeks, plus all the money he makes from sponsorships. Without disclosing the figures on my 1040EZ form, let''s just say I make millions less in a whole year.
Federer now drives a brand new Lexus, and I can only imagine what else he has parked in his garage with the money he''s making. Heck, just the fact that he has his own garage is something to admire. I currently drive a 1999 Toyota Tacoma, which sits in the parking lot at Centennial Apartments. The only reason I''m lucky enough to drive that now is because the 1982 Toyota Cressida I drove at the beginning of last year would break down every time I took a girl out on a date. I finally decided it was time to upgrade.
Federer is considered the best tennis player in the world right now. Some even consider him the greatest tennis player of all time. Some days, I''m considered the best tennis player in my apartment (and I don''t mind saying I''m proud of myself when that day comes around).
The thing is, there are so many more like our tennis champ. Most of the current Olympians are probably close to my age or younger. Then there are guys like professional soccer star Freddy Adu, who is 16 and making millions. And it''s not just athletes, either. There are actors, musicians and young businessmen my age who are already set for life. What happened in the lives of these people that makes them so different from me?
Now before you start calling me an ingrate, I must say I recognize the fact that I am blessed. There are many people throughout the world who don''t have a quarter of the comforts I enjoy on a daily basis. I really have no reason to complain.
But as I watched Federer receive that big, fun, oversized check, I couldn''t help wondering what I should have done differently in my youth. These days, it''s almost too late for me to become a young, famous heartthrob. It''s definitely too late to become a famous athlete. It''s almost even too late to become a famous musician. At 24 years old, I''m in the prime of my life and should be at the top of my game. But to tell the truth, I don''t even know what my game is yet. The older I get, the more I realize that most of us weren''t made for greatness in the worldly sense.
Such success does have another side, though. As I''ve thought about Federer, I''ve wondered how he feels. Maybe he envies me and the millions of other folks in my situation. Sometimes he might just want to blend in. I imagine the pressure he is under to win his matches and remain the best tennis player in the world is enormous. He just might not mind walking around in my shoes - shoes that don''t catch the eye of everyone I don''t know. Maybe so much ambition could be a curse. Maybe all of those Olympians wish they weren''t so driven. I''m sure they''ve sacrificed a lot of regular, good living for their two weeks of fame.
We''re all different, and we all have our own unique strengths and weaknesses. After all is said and done, I am different from Roger Federer, but that doesn''t make me any less happy. He can have his pressure and fame. In the end, I''m just fine without it.
I wouldn''t mind that big check for $1.1 million, though.