With the Olympics just concluding after capturing the attention of citizens from around the globe, I wanted to share with you three success principles I’ve noted watching many of the athletes who have made it to the top of the athletic mountain. While these three may seem simple, they are the basic building blocks to achieving success in endeavor and should not be taken lightly.
#1. They are all extremely persistent. To train for years and years in obscurity, hours a day, often with little funds and few fans to cheer them on, these world-class athletes are the ideal definition of persistence on display. Their overriding goal and passion to be the best in their sport is something we should marvel at and strive to do within our chosen career and daily life.
While a few of these athletes are simply freaks of nature and rarely taste defeat, for a large majority of these athletes simply making the games to compete is a huge accomplishment. While the media likes to often times focus on those who have missed the mark, I believe that any athlete that can suit up and play at the level is already a champion. Yes, they all want to win, but that’s not how athletics works. Someone’s personal best may not win a medal and place them on the medal podium, but deep down many of these athletes know they’ve already won by training hard, making the games and competing against the best competition in the world.
#2. They are passionate. At this level, a full-commitment is required. This is where the years of practice and sacrifice are rewarded for all to see. For example, just yesterday, one of the U.S. men’s track team members broke his leg at the start of the 4×4 relay but still ran the remaining 200 meters through intense pain so as to not let the rest of his team down. Now that’s passion! While the team obviously didn’t win the gold, this man’s persistence, determination and passion have become the talk of the games.
#3. They work on continuous improvement each day. Each athlete is always tracking and looking for ways to get better each day. To “settle’ or get comfortable is a concept that does not exist in their minds. With new and established competition to contend with, settling in is not an option.
Think of how many people you know around you that have simply settled in with life? It’s shocking to watch so many people stop pushing themselves to learn more, get in better shape, and seek new ways to improve their overall life in an age of endless options and resources available to them. This reminds me of one of my favorite quotes from the legendary Jim Rohn when he said, “No one can do your pushups for you.”
As you review these three success principles inspired by the Olympic Games and those who compete in them, I urge you to take a look at your own life and see which one of these three you can model and add to your daily game and life journey.
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