Simone Biles flaunts latest million-dollar gift that rivals Jonathan Owens in making her happy
Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast in U.S. history, recently showcased her latest luxury gift – a $6,332 Chanel handbag – courtesy of her husband, Chicago Bears safety Jonathan Owens. The extravagant present was a sweet surprise that left Biles beaming, adding to the couple’s growing collection of heartfelt exchanges.
The Olympic champion debuted the elegant white quilted Chanel purse during a Bears game at Soldier Field, where she donned a custom outfit adorned with photos of Owens in his uniform.
Styled by Kelly Daley, the ensemble featured a cropped sweatshirt and cargo pants, perfectly complemented by the designer accessory. Despite the Bears‘ 6-3 loss to the Seahawks, Biles’ unwavering support for her husband shone through her spirited attire.
This Chanel bag isn’t the only luxury item Biles has received from Owens. The NFL player has a history of showering his wife with high-end gifts, including a $30,000 Hermès Birkin bag and designer handbags from Prada and Jacquemus.
Notably, Owens once surprised Biles with a Gucci Diana Mini Tote and a Yves Saint Laurent piece after she had an emotional day, demonstrating his attentiveness to her feelings.
A love story beyond material gifts
While the couple’s exchanges of lavish items capture public attention, Biles emphasizes that it’s the thoughtful gestures that mean the most. In an interview, she revealed that her favorite gifts from Owens are the weekly bouquets of flowers he gives her, stating, “I’m not very materialistic. It’s probably my weekly flowers. He buys me flowers every week, and that’s my favorite.”
Their mutual appreciation extends beyond gifts. Biles has been a constant presence at Owens‘ games, often wearing custom outfits featuring his name and jersey number. Conversely, Owens has publicly expressed his pride in Biles’ achievements, especially during the Paris 2024 Olympics, where she became the most decorated American gymnast in history.
The couple’s relationship, marked by grand gestures and genuine affection, continues to inspire fans worldwide. Whether it’s a designer handbag or a simple bouquet, it’s clear that their love is built on thoughtful surprises and unwavering support.
Simone Biles Reveals She and Husband Jonathan Owens Have Found New Home in Chicago Ahead of NFL Season
Olympic gymnast and longtime Texan Simone Biles has found a new stomping ground—at least for the duration of the NFL season.
The 28-year-old athlete revealed on Instagram that she and her husband, Jonathan Owens, have found themselves a new abode in Chicago, where the NFL player is set to start his second season with the Chicago Bears later this year.
In a post shared on her Instagram Stories, Biles—who owns two properties in Texas—revealed that the couple was busy shopping for new cars for their Chicago dwelling, although she revealed no other details about the property itself.
“Looking at cars today for our Chicago home,” she wrote over an image of the inside of a Porsche showroom.
Although Biles and Owens, who signed a two-year contract with the Bears in 2024, were shopping for vehicles for the Windy City, the image was actually taken inside a Porsche dealership in Houston, just a short drive from their permanent residence in Spring, TX.
The couple has spent more than a year building their dream lakefront home from scratch, with the gymnast regularly sharing progress updates on her Instagram.
In October, she revealed that the dwelling was nearing completion, showing off several of the stunning interior decor touches that had been installed, including a dramatic black-and-white marble backsplash in the kitchen and some quirky patterned tiling in the laundry room.
Outside, her images captured the newly built swimming pool, which overlooks the lake and features a lavish spa.
The photos revealed that the swimming pool’s foundation had been laid, the structure was almost complete, and it just needed an overhaul of the surrounding space—as well as some water to fill it with.
However, the home also has a number of other amenities not featured in Biles’ Instagram update, including a home theater and a wet bar, as well as an expansive balcony that overlooks the lake.
The home has also been shown on the Netflix series “Simone Biles Rising,” which documented her return to the sport after she withdrew from the 2020 Olympics.
In the series, Biles and Owens are seen checking in on progress at their home, with the former admitting it felt “surreal” to see it come to life.
“It’s a little surreal to walk through and see just how far it’s come,” she said. “Last time you guys saw it, it was just bones and a structure.”
Although it appears that the property may finally have been completed, Biles and her husband have had little chance to enjoy it fully.
At the time of her October Instagram post, Biles was busy taking part in her national Gold Over America Tour (GOAT), which saw her and several other top gymnasts performing in various stadiums across the country, from California to Michigan.
Simone Biles celebra su premio Laureus a la Deportista Mundial del Año, durante la ceremonia de los Premios Laureus del Deporte Mundial 2025 en Madrid, España, el lunes 21 de abril de 2025. (AP Foto/Manu Fernández)
Soon after she returned from that blockbuster event, the gymnast headed straight to Chicago to support her husband in his first season with the Bears—regularly sharing images of herself on the sidelines of his games, often sporting custom Owens-branded clothing.
And the couple has had little time to enjoy their new pad even after the NFL season came to an end, instead opting to take advantage of the break by jetting off on a luxury trip to South Africa, where they enjoyed safari adventures, helicopter rides, and vineyard trips, according to Biles’ Instagram posts.
Now, it seems the dynamic duo is preparing for yet another major move—this time to Chicago, where Owens will begin training camp at the end of July.
The pair will leave behind not only their custom-built Spring home, but also a second Texas dwelling where they were living while their new abode was being finished.
That home was purchased by Biles in 2020 for an undisclosed amount and is located just a short distance from her childhood home, where she lived with her grandparents, Nellie and Ronald, who she refers to as her mother and father.
This gymnast’s debut on the world stage began at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where her powerful performances not only won her admiration, but also a medal. While she shared the Olympic floor with names like Simone Biles, being in the Final Five, she carved out a place of her own in the sport. Expectations were high for her return at the Tokyo Games, but a mix of personal growth, injuries, and the global pandemic led her to step away from competition. And now, it’s drum rolls for her comeback onto the stage again. How so?
A hand over her mouth, eyes wide open, an emotion of certain shock but also that of happiness, overwhelming joy. That is how Laurie Hernandez looked in her latest Instagram post. But why was she shocked? The caption had the story, “woah! we won a Sports Emmy!! go team!!” it read. Yes, Simone Biles’ teammate from the Rio Olympics, a member of the Final Five, has won an Emmy. Something the most decorated gymnast of all time is yet to receive. What did the Olympian win a Sports Emmy for?
After retiring from competitive gymnastics, Laurie Hernandez took on a role as an NBC Sports analyst and correspondent. She returned to the Olympic stage as an NBC correspondent covering women’s gymnastics during the Paris Olympics. The whole show has won the Emmy for the Outstanding Live Special – Championship Event. The former gymnast reacted to The Emmys’ official post, saying “WAIT WHAT“.
The official account of Emmy took notice and quoted, “Olympic champion AND Emmy winner @LaurieHernandez ! #SportsEmmys.” She had been nominated for Emmys before as well. She was a part of the 2021 docuseries Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women’s Gymnastics, which explored the evolution of women’s gymnastics and the challenges athletes face, including body image, ageism, and abuse within the sport.
The series featured prominent gymnasts such as Hernandez, Aly Raisman, and Jordyn Wieber. Defying Gravity was nominated for a 2021 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Edited Sports Series and won the 2021 Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Sports Program. UFC The Walk – McGregor vs. Cowboy took the Emmy that year.
Simone Biles almost had an Emmy
Simone Biles Rising is a four-part documentary series produced by Religion of Sports in partnership with the International Olympic Committee and Olympic Channel Services. It premiered on Netflix on July 17, 2024, with the remaining episodes releasing in October 2024. The series offers an intimate look at Simone Biles’ journey, focusing on her mental health challenges during the Tokyo Olympics and her determination to return to competitive gymnastics in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The series was nominated for the 2021 Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Edited Sports Series, competing against other strong contenders like UFC The Walk – McGregor vs. Cowboy, which ultimately won the Emmy that year. Beyond the Emmy nod, the series earned several other prestigious nominations and awards, including two wins at the 2024 Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards for Best Sports Documentary and Best Limited Documentary Series. It was also nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Sports Program in 2025.
These documentaries, though based on individual athletes, shed a wider light on the challenges faced by everyone who comes with higher aspirations. While Biles came close to securing an Emmy nomination for her story, it’s Hernandez who now stands with an Emmy in hand, not limiting Simone’s efforts in any capacity.
Simone Biles — the most decorated gymnast in history, a global icon, and a relentless advocate for mental health and gender equality — just got a $28.5 million reminder of how the world still sees female athletes. To sum up her listing on the Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, lets say– so close, yet so far!
The message was clear, there’s still plenty to worry about in women’s sports even in 2025. Last year when the list of the top 10 highest-paid female athletes was released by Forbes, and Simone Biles was included. She’d ranked 10th, thanks to her $11.2M earnings that year. But she, or for that matter, any woman player, remained absent from the combined list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Today, it’s been a year since that, and it looks like nothing has changed.
Fast forward to May 2025, Forbes has again released its list of the highest-paid athletes of this year. And once again, Cristiano Ronaldo topped it, for the third year in a row. Alongside were names like Steph Curry, Tyson Fury, and Dak Prescott. But surprisingly, for the second consecutive year, no woman, including Simone Biles, lands among the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes.
To answer the question why– the cutoff for 2025’s top 50 athletes is set at $53.6 million, which is a 19% jump from the $45.2 million required to make the list last year. And Simone Biles‘ earnings, $11M, which she made till December 2024, are still way too less to match this bar. Now this will be irrespective of her medals, her sponsorships, or her net worth. Yes, as of 2025, sources deem her net worth to be around an approximate $25 M. Even with that, she’s nowhere near the bar.
This ain’t it. Simone Biles has a number of endorsement deals with brands like Visa, Uber Eats, K18, Tide, and sponsors like Athleta and Nike. Still, it isn’t enough to match the male athletes, who earn $100-$275 million annually. Therefore, not just Simone Biles, but no other athletes like Coco Gauff, Caitlin Clarke, etc, have featured on that list yet. This time, it’s not even gymnastics that held her back, because even the top tennis and basketball women stars have missed the cut. Thus, women’s sports continue to be largely overlooked.
Simone Biles has always advocated for women’s sports
When compared with the all-time athletics GOATS, Simone Biles has always maintained, “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, I’m the first Simone Biles.” She has always taken a stand for the right, just like when she advocated the importance of mental health in gymnastics. She continues to push the boundaries of what women can do in her sport.
In fact, she’s a big supporter of the entire “women in sport” fight. After the Paris Olympics, Simone Biles proudly reacted to the fact that, “It was super exciting that, finally, 50% of the athletes at the Games were females.” For the first time IOC had ensured full female and male parity. However, looks like in terms of proportionate pay and opportunities, the female athletes still have a long way to go. What do you think? Let us know below!
The 2023 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, the one where Simone Biles came back like she never left, dominating the all-around. Reclaiming the top spot and walking away with three individual apparatus medals. It was a moment of sheer brilliance, the kind only Biles can deliver. But fast forward to 2025, and things are eerily quiet on the queen’s front. No official announcements, no training clips, no bold declarations about her next world title. Outside of her brief NCAA appearance to support Cecile Landi, Simone’s been spending time away from the gym spotlight.
And yet, as the World Championships prepare to make their historic debut in Asia, Team USA isn’t slowing down. In fact, the American camp is heating up. A wave of big-name former champions, Biles’ ex-teammates, and seasoned contenders are already being called in for evaluation and prep. The roster is deep, familiar, and fiercely competitive. Signaling that even without Biles front and center (for now), Team USA has no intention of loosening its grip on global dominance.
Inside Gymnastics took to Instagram, highlighting, “The United States is currently hosting a Training Camp as the Elite season kicks into high gear!” And they’re not kidding. Olympic gold medalist Hezly Rivera (WOGA) is in the mix, along with Olympic alternates Joscelyn Roberson (Arkansas) and Leanne Wong (Florida), plus World medalist Skye Blakely (Florida/WOGA). That’s not just a camp!
It’s a powerhouse huddle of talent. As questions swirl around Simone Biles’ return, this roster sends a strong message: the next wave of leadership isn’t waiting in the wings. They’re already here. All eyes now turn to New Orleans, where the stage will be set for the 2025 U.S. Gymnastics Championships, running August 7–10 at the Smoothie King Center.
This premier event will showcase the nation’s top junior and senior athletes as they chase national titles and crucial spots on the U.S. National Team. The very pipeline that will feed into the World Championships in Jakarta later this fall. And while the Championships are the headline, the weekend will also host the USA Gymnastics National Congress and Trade Show. Expected to bring more than 2,500 industry professionals to the Crescent City.
With the post-Olympic cycle in full swing, this summer is less of a cooldown and more of a relaunch. USA Gymnastics CEO Li Li Leung captured the moment best: “The post-Olympic year is when athletes begin their build toward 2028, when the Summer Olympic Games return to the United States for the first time since 1996.” With that long game in mind, New Orleans, known for its championship pedigree, is stepping back into the spotlight.
As new stars emerge, all eyes turn back to the Gymnastics goat
Simone Biles, often dubbed the undisputed GOAT of gymnastics, has etched her name into the Code of Points not once. But five times! Twice on floor, twice on vault, and once on beam. Her legendary repertoire showcases not just skill but courage, with each element pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the sport. Now, the trend she started continues.
At the 2025 Antalya World Cup, China’s Yang Fanyuwei made waves by performing a full-twisting Jaeger on uneven bars during qualifications. Her move, soon to be recognized as “The Yang” (pending FIG approval), is a stunning example of the global inspiration Biles has ignited. And following in that trail of bold innovation, yet another high school gymnast has stepped up. Signaling a thrilling new era of technical creativity.
But while names are being added to the Code, Biles’ dominance remains untouched. Paul Juda recently reminded the gymnastics world why Simone’s name still commands unmatched respect. Posting a video on May 19 of himself performing the Yurchenko double pike vault just before the 2023 Core Hydration Classic. He captioned it perfectly, “That’s why she’s the GOAT 🤯.”
The clip needed no music, no effects, just raw skill. And it brought back memories of Biles’ exclusive relationship with that very vault. She’s only competed in it five times: at the 2021 U.S. Classic, the Olympic Trials, the 2022 and 2023 World Championships, and finally, the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she blew the field away with a 15.766. Five times in four years. That’s how rare and risky this vault is.
Juda’s effort proves that, with enough grit, even the scariest elements in gymnastics can be approached. But there’s still a difference between doing the move and owning it. For now, that ownership belongs solely to Simone. As we edge closer to the 2025 World Championships, one can’t help but wonder: will the queen herself return? And remind the world who still sets the standard? With her history, her moves, and her aura. One thing’s for sure: nobody steals the spotlight quite like Simone Biles.
Simone Biles’ $11M Earnings Fall Short as Heartbreaking Reality of Women’s Sports Out in Public
Simone Biles — the most decorated gymnast in history, a global icon, and a relentless advocate for mental health and gender equality — just got a $28.5 million reminder of how the world still sees female athletes. To sum up her listing on the Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, lets say– so close, yet so far!
The message was clear, there’s still plenty to worry about in women’s sports even in 2025. Last year when the list of the top 10 highest-paid female athletes was released by Forbes, and Simone Biles was included. She’d ranked 10th, thanks to her $11.2M earnings that year. But she, or for that matter, any woman player, remained absent from the combined list of the world’s highest-paid athletes. Today, it’s been a year since that, and it looks like nothing has changed.
Fast forward to May 2025, Forbes has again released its list of the highest-paid athletes of this year. And once again, Cristiano Ronaldo topped it, for the third year in a row. Alongside were names like Steph Curry, Tyson Fury, and Dak Prescott. But surprisingly, for the second consecutive year, no woman, including Simone Biles, lands among the world’s 50 highest-paid athletes.
To answer the question why– the cutoff for 2025’s top 50 athletes is set at $53.6 million, which is a 19% jump from the $45.2 million required to make the list last year. And Simone Biles‘ earnings, $11M, which she made till December 2024, are still way too less to match this bar. Now this will be irrespective of her medals, her sponsorships, or her net worth. Yes, as of 2025, sources deem her net worth to be around an approximate $25 M. Even with that, she’s nowhere near the bar.
This ain’t it. Simone Biles has a number of endorsement deals with brands like Visa, Uber Eats, K18, Tide, and sponsors like Athleta and Nike. Still, it isn’t enough to match the male athletes, who earn $100-$275 million annually. Therefore, not just Simone Biles, but no other athletes like Coco Gauff, Caitlin Clarke, etc, have featured on that list yet. This time, it’s not even gymnastics that held her back, because even the top tennis and basketball women stars have missed the cut. Thus, women’s sports continue to be largely overlooked.
Simone Biles has always advocated for women’s sports
When compared with the all-time athletics GOATS, Simone Biles has always maintained, “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, I’m the first Simone Biles.” She has always taken a stand for the right, just like when she advocated the importance of mental health in gymnastics. She continues to push the boundaries of what women can do in her sport.
In fact, she’s a big supporter of the entire “women in sport” fight. After the Paris Olympics, Simone Biles proudly reacted to the fact that, “It was super exciting that, finally, 50% of the athletes at the Games were females.” For the first time IOC had ensured full female and male parity. However, looks like in terms of proportionate pay and opportunities, the female athletes still have a long way to go. What do you think? Let us know below!
Simone Biles — the most decorated gymnast in history, a global icon, and a relentless advocate for mental health and gender equality — just got a $28.5 million reminder of how the world still sees female athletes. To sum up her listing on the Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, lets say– so close, yet so far!
Simone Biles — the most decorated gymnast in history, a global icon, and a relentless advocate for mental health and gender equality — just got a $28.5 million reminder of how the world still sees female athletes. To sum up her listing on the Forbes’ list of highest-paid female athletes, lets say– so close, yet so far!
To answer the question why– the cutoff for 2025’s top 50 athletes is set at $53.6 million, which is a 19% jump from the $45.2 million required to make the list last year. And Simone Biles‘ earnings, $11M, which she made till December 2024, are still way too less to match this bar. Now this will be irrespective of her medals, her sponsorships, or her net worth. Yes, as of 2025, sources deem her net worth to be around an approximate $25 M. Even with that, she’s nowhere near the bar.
This ain’t it. Simone Biles has a number of endorsement deals with brands like Visa, Uber Eats, K18, Tide, and sponsors like Athleta and Nike. Still, it isn’t enough to match the male athletes, who earn $100-$275 million annually. Therefore, not just Simone Biles, but no other athletes like Coco Gauff, Caitlin Clarke, etc, have featured on that list yet. This time, it’s not even gymnastics that held her back, because even the top tennis and basketball women stars have missed the cut. Thus, women’s sports continue to be largely overlooked.
Simone Biles has always advocated for women’s sports
When compared with the all-time athletics GOATS, Simone Biles has always maintained, “I’m not the next Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps, I’m the first Simone Biles.” She has always taken a stand for the right, just like when she advocated the importance of mental health in gymnastics. She continues to push the boundaries of what women can do in her sport.
In fact, she’s a big supporter of the entire “women in sport” fight. After the Paris Olympics, Simone Biles proudly reacted to the fact that, “It was super exciting that, finally, 50% of the athletes at the Games were females.” For the first time IOC had ensured full female and male parity. However, looks like in terms of proportionate pay and opportunities, the female athletes still have a long way to go. What do you think? Let us know below!
Simone Biles and Jonathan Owens Spotted Cozying Up During MLB Game After Expensive Addition to $3 Million Family Project
Simone Biles is back in Chicago—and let’s just say she is wasting no time making it feel like home again. She gave a sneak peek at what’s going on with her life with a simple Instagram story. Just one photo—a Porsche showroom. Bright floors, gleaming cars, and a caption that read, “Looking at cars today for our Chicago home.” Not letting on much, but enough that said, she was ready to make a luxe purchase for her home.
Then, flash forward a few hours, and she posted another story. This time, with two Porsche keys. Yes, she got it. The Olympic legend has added another sleek ride to her growing collection right in the middle of her Windy City return. But the day didn’t end with the roar of the engines, though. It wrapped up under the MLB stadium lights!
Fans spotted Simone Biles and her husband, Jonathan Owens, at the Chicago Cubs game. They were all cozied up in the stands, simply sharing a good laugh, whispering, and just soaking up some ‘chi’ time. And they were even decked up wearing the Cubs jerseys. Later, even Simone Biles herself posted a story from the stands and captioned it “summer time chi”—a quiet nod to how much Chicago feels like home. Fans, too, were more than thrilled watching the couple in the stands. One fan even wrote, “How cool to see the GOAT at Wrigley.”
Just months ago, Biles and Owens were busy bouncing between the coasts, just globe-trotting from Madrid to South Africa. She even bid an emotional farewell to Chicago back at the start of the year. Now, with Owens geared up for another season, it seems like the couple is planting their roots, complete with luxury cars in their $3 million home and all.
But of course, Simone being Simone, and the entire week can’t be all about play for her. Just days before this Chicago Cubs sighting, she was actually at Washington University in St. Louis. She received an honorary doctorate and delivered a speech that even left Owens singing her praises. To be exact, he had posted about it, saying, “Best commencement speaker ever.” Well, for fans, these sneak peeks matter plenty. It shows them life’s sweet spots amidst all the bright lights of the sport.
Before Simone Biles was the GOAT, she was just a girl with a dream
Long before Simone Biles became the global icon—the face of American gymnastics—and before the gold medals and the world titles and the crazy routines, she was just a wide-eyed 15-year-old in St. Louis. It was 2012. The VISA National Championships just wrapped up, and Biles placed third in the all-around competition. On paper, it was good. But for Simone Biles, it was a turning point. As she was standing there on the podium beside Lexie Priessman and Madison Desch, she didn’t feel proud—she was stunned. In her autobiography, Courage to Soar, she later admitted, “I could hardly believe that my dream was coming true.”
When the names of the junior national team flashed across hers among many, she couldn’t stop smiling. She grinned till her face even hurt. That moment was the moment, the quiet before the storm. The beginning of something that would change not just her life but women’s gymnastics forever. Now fast forward to this weekend; she was in Chicago, this time not under the arena lights but ballpark ones. The crowd wasn’t just cheering for her—Simone was right there, cheering on the Chicago Cubs too, at a time when they were lighting up a stellar show.
Dansby Swanson got the party started with a home run, and Pete Crow-Armstrong kept the fireworks coming with another clutch performance. The Cubs, in the end, beat the White Sox 7-3, and it was a milestone for them. This marked their franchise record seventh straight win over their crosstown rivals.
Simone’s story shows that it all starts with showing up. What do you think?
These dozen words can help anyone achieve greatness in whatever they’re pursuing, according to gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles.
It’s graduation season, which means celebs and star achievers from every field imaginable have fanned out to dispense their wisdom to this year’s graduating class. That includes gymnastics GOAT Simone Biles. As you can imagine, she wasn’t handing out advice on better backflips when she spoke at Washington University recently.
Instead, she offered advice on a topic that is of much more use to the vast majority of grads not destined for Olympic glory — chasing big goals of any sort. Biles shared simple but profound advice she learned from her mother that she believes can help anyone achieve greatness in whatever endeavors they pursue.
It turns out that a chorus of diverse experts agrees with her advice.
12 great words of advice from Simone Biles’s mom
Few would argue that Biles is the reigning “greatest of all time” in gymnastics, including apparently Biles herself.
“It does give me chills thinking about what I have accomplished in gymnastics,” she confessed to the newly minted graduates. “But I’m going to let you in on a little secret — being the GOAT was never the goal.”
Biles credits her mom with setting her focus as an athlete. It wasn’t, as you might think, beating others or winning competitions. It was “to be the best Simone that I can be.”
“To be an elite student or an elite athlete or an elite anything, you have to be … the kind of person who is fueled by their own passion,” Biles said, adding an epic 12 words that every superachiever should remember: “My goal was to be the greatest Simone Biles of all time.”
The best way to help kids achieve their potential
There is no fancy language in those dozen words. No tricks, hack, or memorable acronyms. What makes them so valuable for anyone looking to achieve greatness? In short, their focus is not on extrinsic markers of success, like rankings or relative status, but on an intrinsic drive to self-betterment.
A whole host of experts insists this is the right orientation not only for a happier life, but for a higher-achieving one, too.
That starts from childhood, as Biles’s mom clearly understood. Child development experts claim that the best way to motivate kids to perform at their best isn’t by comparing them with others or hectoring them to improve their weaknesses. It’s to identify and celebrate their individual strengths, and build out from there.
In other words, it’s helping them be the greatest version of themselves they can be given their particular talents.
“Confidence is contagious: When we’re good at things, our courage rises. When young people experience themselves as strong and capable—as an artist, an athlete, a leader, or a friend—they are better equipped to persevere through obstacles in other areas of their life,” explained educator Russell Shaw in The Atlantic recently.
The best way for adults to chase greatness too
But aiming to be the greatest version of yourself isn’t just the best way to help kids achieve happiness and greatness. It’s also the best approach for adults, too.
″Comparison is the deadliest thing we can do to ourselves because we will always come up short. All it does is exaggerate all of our insecurities,” best-selling author and leadership guru Simon Sinek has said. “It’s healthy to grow our own strengths rather than be intimidated by the strengths of others.”
When you try to beat others, you will perpetually come up short. Biles is a world champion who has literally beaten every other human being on earth in her sport. Apparently even she agrees with Sinek that true self-worth doesn’t come from out-achieving others. It comes from a sense of maximizing your own potential.
You can’t erase doubts about your self-worth through achievement, no matter how exceptional. But you can achieve more through a firm sense of self-worth and focus on self-betterment.
Writer Mark McManus once put it this way: “The only people who desire to be better than everyone else are those who feel inferior. The need to ‘outshine’ everyone is actually born of fear and weakness, not strength.” True greatness — and true self-confidence — comes from measuring yourself against nothing but your own potential.
Mark Zuckerberg agrees with Simone Biles
Another unexpected supporter of the Biles’s family’s approach to greatness? Mark Zuckerberg.
Last summer, like many parents, he took his young daughter to see Taylor Swift’s blockbuster Eras Tour. Apparently impressed by the show, she told her dad, “I want to be like Taylor Swift when I grow up,” the Meta founder related on a podcast.
But Zuckerberg wasn’t having any of that.
“I was like, ‘But you can’t. That’s not available to you.’ And she thought about it and she’s like, ‘Alright, when I grow up I want people to want to be like August Chan Zuckerberg,’” Zuckerberg continued. “And I was like, ‘Hell, yeah. Hell, yeah.’”
You can imagine that Biles’s mom would have approved of Zuckerberg encouraging his daughter to aim to be no one but the best version of herself.
Be fueled by passion, not comparison
Which is a nice encapsulation of Biles’s powerful insight on the likeliest route to achieving big things in life. It’s not by comparing yourself with others. It’s not by trying to beat them or be like them. True greatness most often stems from simply trying to be the best version of yourself.
That is the kind of person who is “who is fueled by their own passion.” And it is also the kind of person who is most likely to achieve great things.
