It’s a monumental win for all Filipinos as Hidilyn Diaz bags the first gold medal for weightlifting for the 2020 Olympics. It’s the first time the Philippines won a gold medal since we joined in 1924. And she will be rewarded for this high honor.
Quite an inspiring feat. What can we do to use this inspiration to our advantage? Here are 8 lessons we can learn from Hidilyn Diaz for our remote working career.
You Can Be Successful Regardless of Your Background
Hidilyn Diaz is not born from a wealthy family. She is the 5th child of Eduardo and Emelita Diaz and was raised in Mampang, Zamboanga City. At the early age of 11, she found an interest in weightlifting. And she was taught by her cousin Allen Jayfrus Diaz the basics.
With hard work and dedication, she rose the ranks. And the rest was history! It goes to show that you can still be successful regardless of your background. It will be harder for the less affluent, but you can still shoot for the stars.
Similar to opportunities in remote working, you can also experience success in your chosen field. The difference is, it’s an equal playing field for all remote workers.
After all, most don’t care about your school, age, or your race. What they do care about is the results you can give your clients.
You Might Need to Sacrifice
If you want to be the best, you might need to sacrifice to achieve what you haven’t. Hidilyn sacrificed her family time when she was training for the Olympics. And with the pandemic, she was stuck outside of the country for so many months.
The restrictions of the pandemic forced her to train in Malaysia. She paused her studies as well to focus. And this sacrifice led to something fruitful.
For remote workers, it might not be as drastic as leaving your family behind. After all, we can earn money working online. But then, it might mean sacrificing some Netflix time to upskill. It can be trading for some hours to get another client.
If you want to reach success, some necessary sacrifices might be needed as well.
You Will Fail. But Do Fail Forward.
A lot of people are afraid of failing. So why try at all? Or worse, why try again? Yes, failing is heart-wrenching. But look at what our hero went through.
- 2008 Summer Olympics – 2nd to the Last Place
- 2012 London Olympics – Ended with “Did Not Finish”
- 2016 Rio Olympics – Silver Medal, the first woman to win an Olympic medal.
- 2020 Tokyo Olympics – Gold Medal
It took her four Olympic competitions to win the gold medal. If she stopped midway, she would’ve not experienced the glory she had today.
In your freelancing and remote working career, you will be rejected. Not everyone will get us for the job. And some clients that we get might be total clients-from-hell. Let’s learn from every experience. You will get the best career possible with every failure as your stepping stone.
Celebrate Your Small Wins
Did you know that not every country can compete in the Olympics? Depending on the sport, an athlete or a team should win multiple sporting events across the globe before they are given a chance to qualify.
For weightlifting, you must be part of the top 8 in the world rankings to have a seat in the Olympics. And Hidilyn won numerous competitions to qualify for that coveted spot.
It’s the same way in our remote working career. You will have multiple opportunities where you can win clients along the way. It will surely be challenging.
So celebrate every win because it’s grooming you to your one big Olympic-like career in the future.
Use Your Setbacks to Your Advantage
Sometimes, when everything is going your way, you are suddenly hit by a major curveball. Hidilyn Diaz had a knee injury last 2014 and hampered her progress.
But instead of giving up, she found a way to take advantage of it. Because of the injury, she reconditioned herself and her diet. She dropped her body weight to compete in the 53 kg division, where she dominated and got silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
You will have setbacks in your career. Your project pitch might be rejected. The client refused to pay for your work. Or maybe, you can’t get an online job after countless applications.
Do you quit? Or maybe you can adjust your approach and try again. It’s your choice if you’ll just wallow in tears. Or use your setback to your advantage as well.
It’s Alright to Ask For Help
A lot of people are scared or prideful enough to handle all their problems themselves. It’s alright if that’s really what you want. But know that you are not alone.
When Hidilyn had financial problems, she dared to reach out to other people and businesses. Yes, some might not like it. But you gotta do what you gotta do.
You will find people who will be there to help you every step of the way.
Some People Will Hate You. And It’s Okay.
And when Hidilyn conveyed her problems, a lot of people on social media attacked her. Hurtful words were said. It even went too far as linking her to “ouster plots.”
Did it faze her? Yes! It made her very scared. But she still continued amidst that fear. The Tokyo 2020 Gold Medal is the prize. And she still pushed through regardless of her naysayers. Now that she won, what are those bashers saying? All praises.
You will have your version of this hate towards what you do. They might not understand it. Or they just hate your guts for whatever you do. Nonetheless, just focus on your goals and better yourself while they sit on the sidelines.
Importance of a Support System
You can’t do it alone. Hidilyn has coaches and multiple people that helped in her Olympic journey. You can’t discount the love from her family and friends as well. As a remote worker, you should have a support system.
Your family and friends will be there for you. Hopefully, you have a mentor or a community of like-minded remote workers that aims to grow with you. And if you’re with an agency, it’s best to be with someone who will support your needs.
With a strong support network in place, you are sure to reach your goals faster compared to doing it alone.
Conclusion
Hidilyn has been given one of the highest honors in the Philippines. As a remote worker, you might not contribute the same level of prestige to the country as her. But by learning from Hidilyn’s example, we can undoubtedly impact the Philippines to be a country full of talented individuals while reaching our personal goals as well. Cheers!
