Back in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, there was a swimmer by the name of Paula Barila Bolopa. Paula was the women's 50 meter freestyle swimmer from Equatorial Guinea. She had also never been in a 50 meter swimming pool until she arrived in Sydney to compete. 

How did Paula qualify for the Olympics? Compared to her competition, she can barely swim across the pool and doesn't even get her face wet when she swims freestyle. She had never stood on a starting block before the Olympics. In fact, Paula didn't even have a swimsuit when she arrived in Sydney. She was invited to participate in the competition by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The IOC has a program that reaches out to athletes from developing nations who might not otherwise have the opportunity to join in the world-famous games. Why in the world would Paula travel to Sydney to compete in an event she had no possible chance of winning? It took Paula more than three times longer than it took the women's freestyle gold medalist, Inge de Bruijn of the Netherlands to finish the 50m. 

Perhaps sometimes it isn't about winning. When Paula finished her heat in 1 minute and 3.97 seconds, the crowd gave her a deafening round of applause. "I got very tired at the end, but the crowd urged me on," Paula confessed in a recent Sports Illustrated article.

Which will carry you farther in life, a gold medal or undaunted courage?