15 Aug Babysitting Our Wins
As the Olympic Games come to a close, I find myself reflecting on the incredible displays of athletic achievement. We have heard so many stories of athletes who poured years of dedication, sacrifice, and effort into their pursuits, culminating in their moment of triumph as they stood on the podium and had a gold, silver, or bronze medal placed around their necks.
Watching these moments unfold, I noticed a recurring theme in the post-victory interviews. Barely moments after receiving their medals, many athletes, still breathless from their performances, would face a seemingly simple question from a curious reporter: “What’s next?”
It’s a question that seems simple enough, but each time it was asked, I noticed a subtle change in the athletes. Their eyes, sparkling with the elation of victory, dimmed slightly. Their smiles, wide and genuine, softened into something more thoughtful, almost hesitant. The joy of their win was still there, but now it was tinged with the weight of the future—a future that, just seconds ago, hadn’t been on their minds. The question inadvertently pulled them away from the hard-earned moment of celebration and toward the next competition, the next Games.
These athletes have been conditioned to always look ahead, to set their sights on the next goal, the next challenge. But watching this unfold time and again, I began to wonder what is lost when they are rushed past their wins. When the focus is on what’s next, do athletes miss out on fully enjoying what they’ve just achieved?
Simone Biles, who won four medals during the 2024 Olympics, was asked this question—“What’s next?”—over and over by well-meaning reporters, and finally, she had enough. When asked about her next steps after clinching the gold medal in the women’s vault final, she delivered a three-word response, “Babysitting the medal.”
“Babysitting the medal”—what a perfect analogy for savoring success. The idea of staying with a win, keeping it close, and cherishing it for what it is feels almost countercultural in a world that constantly urges us to keep moving, striving, and never stop inching toward better. But what if we allowed—or even forced—ourselves to babysit our successes? What if, instead of letting the moment slip away in the rush to the next challenge, we made an intentional choice to savor it and fully experience the joy, pride, and satisfaction that comes with accomplishment?
The psychological practice of savoring, much like babysitting, is about presence. It’s about being in the moment, fully engaged, and appreciating what’s right in front of you in the here and now. Much like how you’d care for a child you have the responsibility of babysitting, when you savor a moment, you stay with your achievement, protecting it and keeping it safe. By giving it your full attention, you allow yourself to be fully present and engaged in the experience.
It’s a takeaway from the Olympics that we can apply to our own wins, big and small. Before we rush off to the next challenge or ask ourselves “What’s next?” we might want to take a little time to babysit our wins.
What “win” in your life could use a little babysitting today?