Watching the highly skilled athletes perform their best at the Olympics, do you wonder what it really takes to achieve such a high standard? What beliefs, habits and supports do they need to have in place to do so – and how can we apply that in business?
1. Know your goal and desired result. None of the athletes comes to the Olympics to place second, right? They all know that (a) they want to compete at a specific date and time in the next Olympics, (b) they want to perform better than anyone else, and (c) they want to walk away with a gold medal. So they set their goal, and they visualize it daily, as though they had achieved it.
What is your Olympics? Is it that first teleclass, first live workshop, first article published, having your first $10,000 month, or getting your web site finished? Set your goal, assign a timeframe to it, and see yourself achieving it.
2. Design your lifestyle to support the goal. To get to the Olympics requires months – even years – of dedication, discipline and practice. They may forego certain foods (one athlete said he hadn’t had dessert in 2 years!), adhere to a daily routine of practice, careful eating, training and toning, and be willing to take the advice of coaches and mentors that can help them reach their goal.
What habits do you need to adopt – and what do you need to let go of – to reach your Olympic-sized goal?
3. Be consistent in both the physical practice and the mental rehearsal, centering and discipline all the way up to the performance. Setting the goal is just the start – but being consistent, day in and day out, keeping the desired result in mind. This is tough, not only for athletes whose enthusiasm may lag after the 25th week of the same routine (!) – but also for creative entrepreneurs who have new ideas in a steady flow.
What is your daily practice every day – no matter what – that keeps you on track to your goal?
4. When the performance time comes, be fully in the moment and do your best. Finally, all of the preparation is complete and the day of competition is here. Those who excel put aside their fears of failure, the roar of the audience, and the pressure of the occasion – and simply allow themselves to be fully in the moment, enjoying it, doing their best, and letting the dedication pay off.
Can you put aside any fear, doubt, worry or nervousness about the audience or the client, and just be present in the moment as a coach, speaker or writer? That is the key to your Olympic success!