The Olympics are in my home town London. I could not be happier. It is so exciting. London has hosted the Olympic Games on two past occasions in 1908 and 1948. Now they are hosting a third time starting in a few day 2012. It is amazing. The Games Begin July 27th @ 7:30pm. The athlete’s I will be watching are Usain Bolt from Jamaica and of course Team USA. Oops, I have been in New York to long, I forgot about my home town. I will be watching my fellow country people from England.
Olympians are the modern gladiators of our time. Every athlete dreams of attending but only a few and the best of every country make it. It’s fair to say that the Olympics put added pressure on most of the athletes because it is held once every 4 years. Since everyone wants to make it so everything is pressurized. I love watching Gymnastics; I will be watching Gabrielle Douglas referred to as the flying squirrel. She is quite remarkable. So young, so talented and bright the confidence of this young lady could like up any stadium. I wish her talent to shine and a medal to procure.
What does it take to be an Olympian? Is it just training, their natural gifts or could it a certain kind of personality? We don’t know. You know they would have been breeding them genetically by now. Is Talent is one of the many key components, as well as speed, strength, and endurance? Yes. But determination and a fighter spirit is one of the major components for success. I love this article about the 15 essentials of becoming an Olympian, according to Nick Catlin, a two-time Olympian.
What about passion? Where does passion come in? Well its important. You have to love what you do. You have to be able and willing to invest the necessary amount of time it takes to be an expert in your event. What does it take to do your best when the pressure is on? When the pressure is on, being in the zone is where most athlete master their personal psychological skills that allow them to make a difference and be the best. They have be able to recover from an error on a dime as a second of time could be the difference between a gold medal or being a person that went to the Olympics. Athletes need to be in the zone, as do many of us who are in professions that call the management of self in a stressful or demanding situation. It calls for years of practice to develop skills to operate at a higher level. You have to be able to cultivate and have laser-like focus.
As with most things, as one learns, they realize it is not about being perfect at what you do. It is about being in the moment as life gives it to you. It is about not worrying about being perfect, about past failures and looking at the scoreboard while in the moment.
If we went after our goals like Olympians there would be nothing we could not accomplish. We would be able to accomplish our desires and goals consistently. We can all be Olympians by adopting and using a combination of psychological skills that include visualization, setting a goal, focused concentration, being able to learn methods that can have you relax when needed and by being able to psych yourself up by using positive self-talk. Use these methods in a consistent order and you can succeed. In order to be successful, you need to managing your mind for success. Once you were ready to accomplish your goal, all you would have to do is focus and let it happen. Athletes have bodies and minds that are prepared to succeed and ready to go for gold. For the untrained goal setter, it is always the mind that gets in the way. Are you willing to do the work?