Who doesn’t like to watch the Olympics? It’s the best of the best competing on a world-wide stage. I think I ride my bicycle faster on the back roads of Texas after I’ve watched a close Olympic race! Maybe I’m unusual, but at times during the Olympics, I imagine joining the athletes in competition. Then I wake up and realize it’s not going to happen!
But I do believe that there are four qualities of Olympic athletes that even you and I can embrace. And when we do, we can achieve Olympic results in our own lives!
Live with Integrity
Everyone has witnessed the downfall of Olympic athletes. I’m not talking about losing the competition on race day. I’m talking about the scandal, disqualification and embarrassment that follows someone caught training or competing using performance enhancing drugs. If you don’t have integrity, you are building your life and business on an unstable foundation. Sooner or later, it will crumble.
Does your “walk” match your “talk”? How do you live when no one is looking?
Know Your Goal
The Olympians that we enjoy watching compete in Rio De Janeiro decided years ago, often when they were in grade school, that they intended to become an Olympian. These athletes also have daily, weekly, monthly and yearly goals- each leading them toward their dream of competing in the Olympics.
Do you know your goal? What do you want to achieve? Who do you want to become? Have you broken it down into monthly, weekly and daily performance goals?
Narrow Your Focus
We have all heard the stories. It is not uncommon for these young athletes to move across the country (or the world) to train under the best coaches. In order to be the best, they forego the typical childhood and adolescent pursuits. Their goal demands that they adopt a singular focus as they train and compete.
How sharp is your focus? What is distracting you from your goal? What do you need to stop doing to accomplish your dreams?
Do the Work
Have you seen the young gymnast Simone Biles compete? A Wall Street Journal article recently described her as a “once-in-a-thousand-year athlete”. Recent Olympic coverage revealed there was a specific point in her training history that marked a notable improvement in her performance. When she quit school and opted for home schooling, she invested her surplus time into more training and the positive results were undeniable. If more training time can help Simone, then more time training and perfecting our craft, whatever that may be, will surely up our game too!
Have you put in the time? Does your daily work reflect the same level of results you want out of life?
As you sit in your living room and watch the world’s top athletes compete, remember what precedes the triumphant athletes on the medal platform. Each of those athletes defined their goal, narrowed their focus, and did the work to become an Olympic athlete. And their integrity validates and preserves their hard won achievements.
The same principles apply to you and me. They’re available to the common man and woman who desire to leave an uncommon mark on their organization, community or world. Let’s go for the Gold!
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