A few weeks ago, I had the privilege to be invited to lunch with Paralympic Swimmer and Gold Medalist Benoît Huot & his Mom Lucie.

With the opening events in RIO only hours away, I feel it timely to share a little bit about that experience.

Benoît spoke to us about how he got started in swimming, as well as in the paralympics.  He spoke to us about how lucky he was to have always been surrounded by a good group of friends and family who supported him.

He told us of the challenges he faced in finding a sport that he felt suited him, in getting known for success in that sport and what inspired him.

His Mom Lucie shared the story from her perspective as well. For one particular competition when she was unable to accompany him, it wasn’t easy to have her son so far away…and that was prior to the days of the cell phone!  So she would call in and get updates on a frequent basis.

That being said, she accompanied him to SO MANY competitions and supported him through it all, and to Benoît’s own admission, it wasn’t always easy.

As accomplished as he is, Benoît has another dream: He’d like to see the Paralympic games recognized in the same way that the olympic games are recognized. Wouldn’t it be nice?

He added that while some are sceptical about this, many were sceptical about female competitors being recognized in the same manner as their male counterparts , however,. we’ve reached that, so while he doesn’t expect it to happen tomorrow, Benoît hopes to see it happen someday 🙂

Benoît also shared words of inspiration for anyone looking to achieve their goals”

1- Believe in your dreams and objectives, and divide those objectives into short-term, mid-term & long-term objectives.

2- Surround yourself with good people- people that inspire you and people whom you can trust.

3- Determination, Discipline and Perseverance.  You will need these in good measure.

As for #2, It was abundantly clear that for Benoît, one of those people was his Mom. Her advice was to make the best of every moment.  Savour the great moments and draw on them when you are facing the bad ones.  We often learn the most about ourselves in our tough moments  and they help us to better our approach, philosophy and attitude.

In honour of Benoît’s Mom, of all Olympic Moms & of all Moms everywhere, I’d like to share this year’s #ThankYouMom Video created by P&G. Today just seems like the perfect day to share it.  Feel free to share it as well.  You may need a tissue 😉

You can find the video here: https://www.pgeveryday.ca/tag/thank-you-mom or by clicking on the video below:

As you get ready to watch The Olympic Games in Rio, remember to mark your calendars for the Paralympic Games in Rio as well, which will take place September 7-18, wishing good luck to all the participants, but an extra-special good luck to Benoît 😉

As you may already know, P&G is a Proud Partner of the Olympic Games in Rio, and I was invited as part of my affiliation with P&G, in the context of their #ThankYouMom campaign. 

Wishing you a wonderful & inspiring weekend, and in case no one else remembers to thank you for all that you do every.single.day, allow me to say this to you:

#ThankYouMom 🙂

Tanya