On The Olympics, Champions And The Will To Win

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Micheal Phelps' dominance. Usain Bolt's triple Olympic record. Simon Biles' gymnastic prowess. These athletes had my heart racing and my mouth gasping as I watched the games. I couldn't help but wonder on how much work it took to achieve all that they did. because, sometimes its really easy to admire or envy outstanding success from afar and not realize what it took to achieve that level of success. The rigor and pain of countless hours of training. The routine of doing the same thing over and over again like that's the only thing that matters. The discipline required to be consistent and to stay the course even when you feel like giving up. The mental strength required to compete and dazzle before a mammoth crowd The pressure to keep winning medals and breaking records so you're not labelled a flash in the pan It takes a lot and that's putting it lightly. So, what does it take to be a champion? Is it genetics?  the grueling time spent at the gym? or a combination of both? Well, you definitely need to be tall to play basket ball or be willing to pile on the muscle to hit a punch in boxing, but that's not all that's required. Genetic science proves that the most important part of talent is the ability to respond to training. Training, to make yourself better and improve your ability to perform at elite levels. Talent, really, is overrated. It is the will, drive and positive die-hard attitude to build your God-given talent that matters. It's your commitment that counts Micheal Phelps started swimming at age 7. His coach, David Bowman describes him as a 'solitary man' with 'rigid focus'. The journey to 23 Olympic gold medals started at age seven. Now that's a long time (24 years to be specific) to keep doing the same thing and you've gotta admit, it's not easy to do the same thing for almost all of your life. You have to fight getting bored or getting over that sneaky feeling that you're missing out on the 'hello from the other side' By the age of twelve, Bolt had become his local school's fastest runner over the 100m distance.  At 29, he holds a triple record at the Olympics Simon Biles began training with coach, Aimee Boorman, at age 8.  At age 19, she's the third female in the world to hold her record. Now, don't focus on what age they achieved stardom. Focus, instead, on the number of years in training, of never giving up and staying consistent. I love this quote by Jason Fried - 'Trade the dream for overnight success for slow measured growth. It’s hard, but you have to be patient.  You have to grind it out.  You may have to do it for a while before anyone notices. Keep doing what you're doing. Put in the hours. It's all going to pay off someday. Rare occasions of instant success do not last because they have no foundation' It is the ability to do the work when it’s not easy that separates the top performers from everyone else. It's your ability to stay committed to the process that will determine what happens in the future, So stay committed, Champion. Don't throw in the towel. Your future is counting on you.