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Jordan Chiles talks to PEOPLE about balancing her busy life
The Olympic gymnast is currently competing on Dancing with the Stars, where she is a favorite to win it all
Chiles, 24, is also a gymnast and student at UCLA
Jordan Chilesknows a few things about balance!
The Olympic gymnast is a favorite to win the Mirrorball Trophy onDancing with the Stars— but she's also making time to excel in other areas of her life.
"The balance has really been crazy," Chiles, 24, tells PEOPLE while speakingabout her partnership with Hero. "That's all I can say. It's been crazy. But I think really having the support system that's really been there, whether it's my PR team, whether it's management, my agency, whoever it may be, my own partner onDWTS, my teammates, my coaches, just having people keep reassuring me that, you know what? I've done so many things throughout my career and that it's okay to have tired days."
For Chiles, that means she gives herself a pass if she needs time to "Netflix and chill."
"It's okay to just chill out, relax for a sec because I'm doing so much," the Washington state native says. "But I'm just happy I have these opportunities and I really take everything that I do to heart because you only live once."
She adds, "We don't have nine lives like cats, and you really have to focus on how life goes, how everything is being pushed and turned and all those crazy things."
The UCLA gymnast and student may be used to being pulled in multiple directions, but she tells PEOPLE that she's learned that progress doesn't have to be about perfection: "We don't live in a Utopia and nothing is perfect."
Courtesy of Hero
The two-time Olympic medalist caught up with PEOPLE before competition on season 34 began in September, and noted at the time that she was "really excited" about her new journey.
"I'm really just enjoying the vibes... and just being me," Chiles told PEOPLE at the time.
No matter the outcome, the athlete is making every moment count, and savoring every victory along the way, she adds.
"Whether I have a busy schedule, whether I'm relaxing in my bed and watching Netflix, I am just always going to be thankful for every opportunity that has been given to me," she says.
She adds, "I always celebrate my wins. I feel like a lot of people sometimes take it for granted because they think just because it's a small win, it doesn't need to be celebrated. But no, 100%, everything that you do in life that you get an accomplishment for, celebrate it, continue to win, continue to do you because you are doing everything you can to make sure you are telling your story, your narrative."
Read the original article onPeople