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So far, my goals stops at making an Olympic team, and then if that happens, then I'll jot down more goals.
My first experience with gymnastics was when I was in daycare. We took a field trip to a gym, and I was hooked.
It hurts my head, but it's fine because it's something I do every day. You can't avoid the gymnastics questions.
I tune it all out because if I let other people's stress get to me, then I stress myself out more than I need to.
I don't fear what will happen, but you just get ahead of yourself, like, 'Oh my gosh, I wish it would happen now.'
To me, I go out there, and I do what I trained. We prepare so long for that moment, so it's just kind of exciting.
Before a big event, I usually go to church and light a candle for St. Sebastian, who is the patron saint of athletes.
Everything I do is in the gym, so I'm always in gym clothes. I'm excited to explore lifestyle clothes for a little bit.
As athletes, we're always going to have aches and pains, but when your teammates cheer you on, you don't think about it.
I make breakfast, which is usually Kellogg's Red Berries or egg whites, and then I go to the gym that's only 10 minutes away.
Always work hard and have fun in what you do because I think that's when you're more successful. You have to choose to do it.
I'm always trying to push myself to the limit to see what I can do. It's my strong will that I've always had since I was a kid.
One of my proudest moments was probably 2013 Worlds because I proved to myself that I could do things that I didn't think I could.
I have practice from 9 A.M. to 12 P.M., and then I drive home and eat lunch, which is either chicken or fish so I get the protein.
If I disappoint someone, it's their loss for putting that expectation on me when they don't know me. I can't control what they want.
It was a very long and hard decision. My dad kept telling me, 'You can always go to college, but you can't always go pro.' That made sense to me.
As a kid growing up, I was never like, 'I want to go to the Olympics,' so having to pass on 2012 because I was too young didn't bother me at all.
It's amazing that I can inspire little kids to know that you can be short or tall, and your body type doesn't matter because you can do anything.
I think I'm teaching my teammates that they can still be successful while having fun and enjoying the moment rather than being a stone cold brick.
I feel like it's harder because everyone knows I'm the three-time world champion - it's almost like people are waiting for something bad to happen.
Most people would focus on concentrating more, and I can't do that. It almost makes me overthink a lot of my things. I have to focus on not thinking.
Every year, I think of Worlds as the big meet, but now, it's the Olympics. I'm blessed to even have the opportunity to think about it and work for it.
My mom, Nellie, got me a rosary at church. I don't use it to pray before a competition. I'll just pray normally to myself, but I have it there in case.
There are goals that I have, and then I dream of it, and then I make it a reality. If I could crawl out of my skin and see it, it would be really amazing.
I don't really think about the degree of difficulty or the possibility of making a mistake. I just try to relax and let my preparation and training take over.
If anybody has a bad day, they'll just come to my room because they know I'll bring out the positive in everything, or I'll make them laugh, or I'll be just crazy.
We go to church on Sunday and then have family dinner. My mom usually cooks, and most of the time, it's protein and something else. She will ask us kids what we want!
I was missing out on public school and going to the football games, prom or homecomings. But I've been to three World Championships... so I think it's like a win-win.
For me to compete at the highest level, training and living a healthy lifestyle is an everyday focus for me, and I'm excited to be a part of the Everyday Awesome team!
When I was younger, I thought every kid was adopted because that's all I've known. I have everything I need, so I never felt the need to have answers for what happened.
Growing up, it was kind of a struggle being small, since everyone would make fun of you - except for when it came to hide and seek: that's the only advantage I ever had!
Sometimes I hear the crowd cheering, and most of the time your body's on auto pilot, so sometimes even after I do a floor routine, I'm like, 'Did I really just do that?'
The support down here in Rio has been amazing - between my family, Team U.S.A. and Team Kellogg's, I've felt so much love. This whole experience has been a dream come true.
In the morning, I usually get up between 7:40 A.M. and 7:45 A.M., and then I'll brush my teeth, do my hair, and just throw on my leotard and my clothes and go to the kitchen.
I started gymnastics when I was six years old. I was at day care, and they took us on a field trip to a gym club, Bannon's Gymnastix in Houston, and that's how I got started.
That's what I love about how diverse our team is - we have such different body types, yet together, we build the best team there is. I think we're stronger together than individually.
Most athletes get intimidated once they see how many fans are out there, but it almost calms me down in a way because I think of it as a fun way to show off what I've been working on.
I would be like, 'Oh, my gosh, I wish I could go to prom.' But then I think, 'You know what? A lot of people can't say they've ever done what I do - they'll never have this opportunity.'
Sometimes I think of that and I'm like, "Simone, I don't know what else you can do. What more can you do? Maybe you can repeat yourself." I'll take time off, get out more, go outside more, vacation.
I always say my biggest competitor is myself because, whenever I step out there on the mat, I'm competing against myself to prove that I can do this and that I am very well trained, prepared for it.
The reaction of the public plays a very important role. It gives us an adrenaline boost, especially when people start to shout and clap their hands in time with the music. That really helps us to go on.
They're like, 'Oh, you did a...' and I'm like, 'I did a what?' No, I flipped twice. I twisted twice. They go, 'It's called a...' and I'm like, 'Why do I need to know that? I just need to go and do that.'
Mentally, I have to get my body and mind in the right place before I start the routine, but once into the zone, it's like I turn on a switch. I envision myself doing the same thing for the Olympic Games.
We've always had each other's backs in and out of competition. We support each other the most because we're the only ones that know what it's like to go through what we do, and so we can't be more thankful for each other. We're like sisters.
I've never been to the Olympics, so I don't know what to expect. It's better for me, just like my first Worlds... My third Worlds, I knew what it was like, so I was like, 'Oh my goodness. But this is my first Olympics, and not knowing what to expect is good for me.
If you ever have a mistake, you try to just kind of forget about it because if you carry that with you for the rest of the routine, then the rest of your routine might not go as planned. So you just kind of shake it off, and you just continue your routine like you didn't fall.
I would say to always follow your dream. And dream big because my whole career, including any of the things that I've accomplished, I never thought in a million years that I would be here. So it just proves that once you believe in yourself, and you put your mind to something, you can do it.
I'm very fortunate to have a coach that I got to stay with all this time. Every year the bond gets stronger and better, and we understand each other more. And it's like she can tell if I walk into the gym what kind of mood I'm in, what she has to fix for the practice I need, or how I'm feeling.
A successful competition for me is always going out there and putting 100 percent into whatever I'm doing. It's not always winning. People, I think, mistake that it's just winning. Sometimes it could be, but for me, it's hitting the best sets I can, gaining confidence, and having a good time and having fun.