Marion Jones holds up the five medals she won at the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Whenever someone would mention this great athelete’s name, my heart would do back flips and cartwheels. Marion Jones was (and still is) an athlete I looked up to the most when I ran track through out middle school and high school. I even watched her win three gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2000 summer Olympics in Sidney, Australia. I was entering my freshman year of college and had made up my mind that I was going to try out for the University of Illinois track team so that I could be a top, medal winning, elite athlete like Marion Jones.

But, disappointment and complete shock took over the nation when in October 2007 Jones pleaded guilty and was convicted of using performance-enhancing drugs by the International Olympic committee. She was stripped of her medals and sentenced to 6 months in prison. I just couldn’t believe it. One of the people I most looked up to in the sports world, hadn’t used her natural athletic ability to influence and inspire so many people around the world. She didn’t trust herself to get the job done, so she used something to help. She looked for a quick fix. I cried as she cried when she addressed the media and the nation about her charges.

No doubt, we are all guilty of seeking some form of instant gratification when it comes to our bodies or our health. And no doubt, we have all made terrible mistakes and have effected our immediate surrounds, family, friends and even ourselves. But I think the biggest mistake we can make is when we don’t bounce back and start over. Too many times, we (especially women) linger in what we’ve done to disappoint others don’t give ourselves enough room to make better decisions. Dwelling in the past hurt, shame and drama will only keep you in your past. Forgiving yourself is the first step.

So now, Marion Jones has bounced back with a new book and a fantastic new outlook on life. “I’ve made mistakes, but I’ve come home and I want to help people not make the same mistakes in their lives,” she said. She’s written an autobiography, “On The Right Track” chronicling her life since she pleaded guilty in 2007. Jones is speaking out on the importance of faith and the commitment to yourself. She is using her mistake and her shame to transform herself and those who support her. “It’s not easy for me to wake up sometimes, knowing that I’ve disappointed so many people, and that I’ve hurt so many people.”

I think we were all disappointed in what transpired, but I’m hopeful and positive that Jones will influence others to give themselves a fighting chance, and that it’s possible to bounce back from disappointment, hurt and shame.

Marion Jones’ story will also be featured this Tuesday, November 2nd at 8pm on ESPN’s “30 for 30” documentary series. I will definitely be tuning in!

What about you? How do you bounce back from disappointment or hurt?

Be Renewed