Another Winter Olympics came and went and what did we learn? Hard work and determination pays off for those who strive to succeed.

Whether it be Lindsey I-wrapped-my-swollen-leg-in-expensive-cheese Vonn, whose determination to win was almost all skiing commentators talked about; or Shaun White, who Twisty McFlipp’ed on his second half pipe snowboarding run after he’d secured the gold, just to show the audience he could pull off the difficult trick.

The cheese wrapping is not a joke, folks. She actually wrapped her bruised shin in cheese curd because it, somehow, speeds up the healing.

And White’s Twisty McFlip was quite impressive.

I’m no stranger to hard work, myself. During college I worked 39.75 hours a week to keep bills at bay while going to class full time and, more often than not, staying on the Dean’s List. Why 15 minutes short of a 40 hour week? Because my employers wouldn’t have to pay me health insurance.

I’ve worked some crummy jobs and pulled many 12-hour days in my 29 years. In all that time I’ve developed a thick skin for people who won’t pull their boot straps tight and go out and work or throw their hands up in defeat when things get tough.

I also have no sympathy for those who, only because of their own inability to get out and try, end up living at taxpayer expense.

Before some of you break out the pitchforks and torches, realize that I know there is a need for some assistance for people who come on hard times all of a sudden.

I’ve been there too, like the time I was canned from a well-paying job 11 days before Christmas. They needed to cut payroll and I was one of two “last hires” who were shown the door.

But people have to be determined to get going again, even if they have to take a moment or three to reevaluate their situation.

Determination isn’t taught in school as a subject. But you see it a lot on the faces of athletes and academics alike.

The kids who always make the better grades or throw a curve ball that even those expecting it can’t hit. They’re driven by the desire to achieve.

But to get there comes hours and hours of practice either hovering over a book and taking in everything an author puts on a page or on the mound for hours on end practicing until it’s perfect.

Perfection is what the Olympics rates amateur athletes on. Just listening to the pithy comments made by the color announcers for some of the non-ranking Olympians was disgusting.

“Ooh, the judges are going to take off for that,” “They should know better.”

Of course they know better, they wouldn’t be at The Games if they didn’t. The amateurs who compete in the winter Olympics are still in an elite class of hard workers who dedicate their time to doing the job right. Or at least to the very best of their ability.

You don’t always have to succeed in life to get better. Sometimes failure or adversity teaches lessons that winning can’t. Like how not to do something.

For all those who get noticed for what they do, there are others who are still climbing the ladder to get what they want. For them, Life isn’t a struggle or an obstacle; it’s a means to an end before they finally achieve success.

“The highs are never as high as the lows are low” goes the expression. That’s true for elite sports professionals or factory workers and all others in between, grinding through their day to get something out of life.

If you want to succeed, you can’t wait for the opportunity to present itself. There are ways to make your own luck. You just have to be determined.

It’s not always easy, but no one ever said life was.