I think I’m safe to admit, I cry each night watching victories along with defeats. I feel the Olympics helped bring the world together for a few brief weeks for us to recognize that we are truly one human race.

But what I’ve really come to understand is that we all have an Olympian within us. As we go through our journey of life, we face many obstacles, barriers and tragedies. We’ve all been knocked down, sucker punched and blindsided. It’s part of life that’s most difficult to experience.

Plus, don’t we all have physical and internal scars too? I have physical scars on both arms from a freak accident that required my biceps to be reattached. Just like you, I’ve faced many personal tragedies, including the loss of a 23-year-old son.

Even though they’re young, both of my kids have many scars themselves. I’ve explained to them that each scar is a story from their life’s journey. None of us can escape situations the world will throw at us, but it’s those scars that make us the unique, beautiful person we are.

I see a woman’s stretch marks from childbirth as a thing of beauty. They brought a wonderful life into this world with their amazing bodies.

I’m sure there are many of you who have heard “it’s not how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get back up.”

Today is the day to pick yourself up and shake off the dust. You are an Olympian fighting with determination to become a champion. We are in a world of competition and you’re the strongest competitor to take the lead.

There’s no hurdle high enough that you can’t leap over. At the end of each day, it will be you standing on the podium to accept a gold medal for conquering life’s journey.