As I watch the Olympics here and there, one thing that stands out to me which transcends all sports that are showcased is the sheer power of human accomplishment. After all, the Olympics is a celebration of how far we can excel as human beings. If we can apply the same type of principles that these Olympians use to perform at this level in our every day life, there is no question that our success would skyrocket. Whatever it is that you do, if you were to do it with an Olympian mindset, you would take your accomplishments further than you have ever imagined. Here is what it takes to unleash the Olympian within you:
Focus
When these incredible athletes practice and work on their craft, they are not distracted by cell phones, emails, chats, friends, and whatnot. Intense focus is necessary to get the job done. How is your focus when you are doing your work? Is it scattered or easily distracted? Watch your success increase as you obtain a higher level of concentration. Let nothing around you disrupt you from doing what you need to be doing. Submerge yourself completely within the task and you will come out of it a winner.
Passion
I read an article earlier about Michael Phelps and how he was saying that he wasn’t too interested in the millions of dollars in endorsements he is about to receive, but he was more interested in putting his discipline, competitive swimming, into the spotlight and bringing in more young people to whom he can then pass the torch (no pun intended). Most athletes are completely passionate about what they do, which is one of the main reasons why they allow themselves to be pushed so far. How far are you willing to push yourself to get your work done? Passion fuels determination, drive, and desire. You may want to read up the highly popular post I wrote 7 Questions To Finding Your True Passion.
Discipline
To reach a high level of performance you need to be completely disciplined, otherwise, you will fall short. For these athletes, it means waking up at 5am every day for years to train for hours and hours per day. There is no “I’m too tired” or “I will start tomorrow”. There are no excuses. To be successful at whatever it is that you are doing, you need to be on the ball each and every day. Not 50% of the time, not 80%. You need to be ready 100% of the time, and for that to happen, you are required to have amazing self discipline. It’s mandatory for them if they ever want to be in contention for a medal. Are you in contention for the gold in your line of work?
Training
When it comes to training, these Olympians do not overlook any opportunity that can help them better themselves. Every possible exercise, every technique, methods, and ideas that can make them perform better, they will take it. There are no shortcuts. Are you taking every opportunity there is for you to better yourself? If you want to reach that pinnacle of performance within your own area of expertise, you need to “train” yourself properly, which can be for example reading books, taking lessons, asking questions, trying different methods, and so on.
Coaching
Do you see one Olympian in Beijing without a coach? There is a reason why these incredible athletes have coaches. Coaches are incredibly useful. Whatever it is that we do, we need someone that can lead us, guide us, be held accountable to, and even inspire us. These can sometimes be in the form of CEO’s, managers, supervisors, parents, and friends. You have no idea what a life coach or a business coach can do for your progression. Most highly successful people I know have coaches. As a matter of fact, most life & success coaches have coaches of their own! If you are interested in coaching, you can find more information on our coaching solutions page.
Self confidence
To be able to perform at the Olympic level, you need to have full belief in your own abilities. You cannot win a gold medal unless you can visualize yourself clearly winning and having the medal put around your neck. You cannot have a doubt in your performance. You need to be 100% certain that you are going to win. This same type of attitude can truly mean the difference between ordinary and extraordinary within your own existence. Have complete confidence that you can get the job done, envision yourself succeeding and then make it happen!
I hope you all enjoy these last few days of the Olympics, and let’s all keep this incredible spirit of human accomplishment alive all year long within our own endeavors 😉
