Did you watch the Olympics this year? I only managed to catch the long program of the women's figure skating.

The American hopeful, Sasha Cohen, fell twice during her warm-up session. As I watched, I tried to envision how she must have felt as the world saw her feet slip out from under her and she crashed to the ice. In my imagination, her confidence was shaken and she came back into the arena a little less sure of herself than she'd been after her near flawless skate on February 21st.

In an article by Bryce Miller of the Des Moines Register, Sasha's cited as saying, "(After struggling in warm-ups), it's kind of hard to feel like you're getting tours at Disneyland."

That was evident when she began the four-minute routine appearing a bit unsteady and joyless. Early in the program, she attempted a triple lutz and fell. She picked herself up, skated onward only to flounder on her next jump, a triple flip. Placing her hands on the ice, she kept herself from complete disaster.

Then something miraculous happened. Sasha began skating differently. She held her head high. She smiled. Her poise re-emerged. She landed a triple loop, a triple flip, a triple toe and two triple salchows. No one, not even the gold medal winner, Shizuka Arakawa, had accomplished more.

Her quick recovery moved her into second place. As a result, she took home the silver medal. Though many writings cited her disappointment, there's something to be said about her overall performance. At the bleakest point, she turned a possible defeat into triumph.

In her excellent article, Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post quotes Sasha, "I was able to take one step at a time. I was able to believe when everything looked a little dark and gray."

How she regained her composure, may also be defined in her statement to Katie Couric on the Today Show. "I'm well-trained. I've been working on myself as an athlete and it kicked in. I was able to pull it back together and keep fighting."

A few nights later, flaunting her silver medal, Sasha told Ellen DeGeneres, "You have to enjoy the experience." Maybe that above all is the key.

I've seen this phenomenon before in skaters and other athletes. When all seems lost, they rise victorious. As if the mere thought of, "nothing left to lose," spurs them to greatness.

In the business world, we face many moments of doubt and discouragement. A time when a preferred client drops out of sight for no apparent reason. Or a deal you've been counting on falls through. Or a vendor raises prices with no warning. There are so many things that can go wrong when you run a business.

It's in these flashes of discouragement that things get tough. That's when we're confronted with our own reactions to the trials. We've all been taught; it's how we respond to a problem that truly matters.

Little Sasha Cohen was faced with the reality of not bringing home the gold. I wonder if I'd been in her shoes, would I have thrown in the towel? Realize I'd lost and just quit trying? She could have done that, but she didn't. Instead, she plucked herself from the ice and ended her program with elegant grace.

She skated her heart out. In the end, she mouthed to her coach, "I tried," and removed her red mini-dress, because she didn't even think she'd placed.

When push comes to shove. When you watch your dreams shatter on the ice. How do you react? Do you give in to disillusion and give up? Or do you stand tall and skate as if you have nothing to lose?

I'm often guilty of the former, but a 21-year-old champion figure skater makes me want to change my tune.

Next time your world crushes beneath you, think of Sasha. I know I will.

Shawn Catsimanes

© QuickSilver Copywriters 2005 -- Andy & Shawn Catsimanes; http://www.quicksilvercopywriters.com/; mailto: andy_shawn@quicksilvercopywriters.com; Sign up for The Corporate Muse: admin@quicksilvercopywriters.com.

I may feel despondent and depressed for a day or so, but I still keep on doing things. Eventually I realise that there's only one way to go - onwards and upwards. I can't pack it all in because I've got nothing to go back to, so I have to keep on believing that it'll all work out all right in the end.

Jane

The conquistadors were reported to have burned their ships when they reached their destination. Sometimes the old "onward and upward" mindset's necessary, whether because of objective conditions, or a state we've created.