Like many others I’ve been watching the Olympics for the last few days.
Not only has it been amazing to see athletes from around the world competing together in a variety of sports, some of which we rarely get to see but it’s also a lesson in what can be achieved when you put your mind to it.
There are stories of athletes competing in this Olympics who were sitting watching from home last time and decided to ‘give it a go’. And here they are competing on the world stage and winning medals.
Others who have overcome personal, physical and emotional tragedies and
hardship to compete.
Life, like sport is a marathon not a sprint and even the sprint takes hours of patience, persistence and commitment to get to the point where an athlete can sprint 100m in less than 10 seconds.
Patience: The Long Game
While there’s so much focus on the quick-fix, instant gratification, recognising that patience
is the foundation to anything meaningful. Whether that’s a new career, learning a new skill or working on your personal growth. You need to give it time to anything worthwhile and you want to be successful.
⭐ Slow and steady wins the race.
Persistence: Never Giving Up
Even when they face countless obstacles, injury and defeat,
they never give up. Their determination to get on the podium, to win a gold medal is what keeps them going and moving forward.
Each time you face a setback, push through the challenge and don’t give up. Learn from the experience, pick yourself back up and keep going.
⭐ Don’t give up at the first hurdle.
Commitment: To Excellence
Every sporting athlete commits to the early mornings, the years of training, the sacrifices that are needed in the pursuit of excellence. Missing out on social events, family time, dealing with injury and the intense physical and mental
challenges.
Whether in your professional or personal life, commit to what gives you a strong foundation for success. Do your best, even when you don’t feel like it and when life gets in the way.
⭐ Commitment is what moves us into action.
Achievement: Celebrate Your
Success
While Olympic athletes have their sights set on winning a medal after their years of training and sacrifice, it’s also important to celebrate the journey of getting there. Each step gets them closer to their ultimate goal.
Celebrate your achievements along the way. The small steps, the milestones, they're all important. Even the failures can be celebrated because they teach you lessons along the way.
⭐ Celebrate the success of even small efforts, repeated day in and day out.
Teamwork: All For
One
Behind every winner a great team. Whether it’s their coach, the physio, nutritionist or the families who drive them to their training sessions day after day, supporting them in the early days. It’s more than the individual performance on the day.
Great teamwork builds on the strengths and compensates for the weaknesses. In any endeavour, sports, work or a personal project, working with a team can give you
Who’s on
your team?
⭐ Alone we can do a little; together we can do much more.
The Olympic Games is more than a global sporting event. It’s an inspiration to all of us for what can be achieved with patience, persistence and commitment.
So even if you’re not planning to compete in LA 2028, take the lessons from these two weeks and apply them to your own
challenges and what you want to achieve at work and in life.
