More Olympic Lessons

August 10, 2012

In Case You Were Wondering What I Was Thinking, Personal Improvement

• Jamaica has a population of under three million, and swept the 200 meter dash. The only other country to ever do that is the US, with a population of over 300 million. Don’t be afraid of large numbers.

• The women gymnasts are gone and already somewhat “over.” You’re popular so long as you’re doing something in the public square. What are you doing to remain visible to your clients and prospects? No one cares much about last month’s gold medal.

• Ursain Bolt, the world’s greatest sprinter, has a lousy start because he’s so tall, it takes him a second to “unwind.” But then his huge stride takes over. He doesn’t focus on his start, but on his stride. Focus on your great strengths for success, not a weakness that someone else suggests you need to remedy.

• In water polo, there is mayhem below the surface, where the officials can’t see and can’t call as penalties. (A mugging which resulted in a woman’s exposed breast seen on the underwater camera turned this boring sport into the Playboy channel for an instant.) Life isn’t fair, you can’t expect some ultimate arbiter to make it so, and you have to play to win, no matter what.

• Some champion pole vaulters often fail to clear the minimum height to continue in the competition, just as some golfers miss a two-foot putt to win a tournament. Physical competition is largely mental at championship level.

• People play through pain by simply not allowing it to stop them. Did you see the relay runner for the US who finished his segment with a broken leg, but in the lead?!

• The home country almost always has a significantly higher medal count than when it is not the home country, meaning that support systems do, indeed, provide for better performance. Remember the “Miracle on Ice,” when an amateur US hockey team defeated the Russian professionals?

• You excel by focusing your skills and behaviors on winning, not on hating your opponent.

• There are people in the Olympics from countries and political situations where they could easily claim they are “victims” and deserve special dispensation. None has. Never see yourself as a victim. No one is shooting at you on client calls.