We, as everyday athletes, can only imagine the stress and intense training Olympians must go through to reach the top of their sport. How must it be to live in the training sneakers of one of the ultra-fast Olympic runners many of us idolize?
Here are a few things I’ve taken from watching the Olympic games:
Never Underestimate The Underdog
Athletes come and go during the games, but we have our favorites from the very start. These include expected gold medalists like Phelps and Biles, but here we are watching lesser known athletes blowing away world records and stripping titles from previous record holders. The underdog spends all of his/her time training in hopes of coming out of their competition with a crowd-shocking win!
These are the best events to watch… aren’t they?
Keep Spirits High Even When You Don’t Medal
Notice how many of these Olympians remain positive even after they don’t medal? They congratulate the athletes next to them and celebrate with the rest of their team. This is the outlook we should all emulate. These athletes know that, as a team, celebrating others success is critical for keeping spirits high. Maybe they’re competing again, so keeping energy up could be crucial to success in the next round.
And, hey, you were still good enough to make it this far!
Keep Sights On Your Goals
These Olympic athletes didn’t get as far as they did with extreme doubt and a lack of goals. Believe me, they’ve been reaching for the stars since they began competing in their respective sports. They wanted to be the best and have worked extremely hard for it, training day in and day out. Sure, doubt comes around now and again but it’s what you do to overcome the negative feelings to continue focusing on your goals that makes the difference.
This is a lesson that we can use in our everyday lives whether it comes to work, school, or sport.
Be Open To Change – Be Coachable
There will come a time when you feel like you’ve reached a peak and aren’t moving from it. You’ve gotten far, but are no longer seeing the results you were hoping for. This is when you know change is needed. These athletes will experience changes in training, diet, coaching, etc. in order to persevere and continue breaking personal records. No matter what you do, you should allow for change. Let others help you and give you advice because it could be the push you need!
Your ‘coach’ can be any figure in your life who provides the motivation and advice that you need to succeed! Heck, it can be YOU.
Hold Yourself Personally Accountable
Holding yourself accountable can make all the difference in succeeding. Blaming everyone else for your failure is a big no-no. When Olympians don’t meet their own times, don’t break personal records, or have other personal conflict they hold themselves accountable. They will take their own accountability and use it to push themselves harder the next time.
This is something we can ALL learn from. Whether you’re trying to drop 50 pounds, eat healthier, get that big promotion, or run your next 5K faster it’s up to you.
Making it to the Olympics takes a lot of time and focus. You may never get there, but keeping a similar mindset could mean personal success! Use these lessons to propel yourself into a positive future.
What lessons have you learned from watching the 2016 Rio Olympics?