What Does Michael Phelps Have to Do With Writing?

I heard today on CBC radio that Olympic champion Michael Phelps had some trouble with his middle school English teacher, who told him he'd never amount to anything!!

What, you may ask, does this tasty tidbit have to do with the writing life -- the subject of this blog? Well, I've been reading a book where the main male character is too perfect. The best characters -- the ones who really tug at our hearts -- are IMperfect, meaning they have good and bad qualities like the rest of us. Anyway, hearing that Michael Phelps was not the best student in middle school reminded me that even our greatest sports heroes have their flaws. Also, I bet you Michael Phelps is the sort of person who didn't give up easily, even when things didn't go his way, as they likely didn't during his  middle school years. So, here's to all of us, with our strengths and weaknesses. We might not be able to swim as quickly as Michael Phelps, but we can learn a lesson from him: to persist even when others tell us we'll never amount to anything. Thank you, Michael, for the inspiration!!