Professional Development
Lessons From The Olympics
Few things unite a nation or our world more than watching the Olympic Games. The inspiring stories of years of practice, recovering from injuries and overcoming incredible odds give us renewed hope that we too can reach some goal or dream in our lives.
As the 2010 Winter Olympics become a memory and those emotion-filled moments fade, what are some lessons we can all take away to help us improve our own chances of achieving professional or personal "gold." Here are some of our thoughts:
- Conditions for success are rarely perfect. Lindsay Vonn won her first gold medal on an icy, shortened downhill ski course while having a bruised shin. Too many of us wait for the perfect job, the perfect relationship or the perfect moment to make a change or improve our situation. It will most likely never come.
- A setback can be a good thing. Shaun White, arguably the best snowboarder in the world, lost to Danny Davis in January. The loss caused White to fine tune his routine and the result at the Olympics was "one for the ages." What could you learn from recent failures that you can apply to future endeavors and improve your chances of "winning?"
- Sacrifice is required, not optional. Not one Olympic athlete got to the games by casually preparing for the events. They sacrificed many things to be able to focus on the critical few elements necessary for success. We must ask ourselves the same question... Are we willing to sacrifice to accomplish what is important to us?
- Focus now-or pay the price later. Lindsey Jacobellis was on her way to snowboarding gold in the 2006 Olympics when she "grabbed her board" in a bit of showing off and it cost her a medal. She spent four years trying to live down the negative press and improve her image. In these Olympics she was once again favored to win-but failed to successfully land a jump in the medal round. As mentioned earlier, conditions for success are rarely perfect, and failing to stay focused can have HUGE long term consequences. What's the price you will pay tomorrow, next week or in years to come for not focusing now on what's most important right now?
- Little improvements over time can make a big difference. Years ago, John Naber prepared for the Olympics by shaving a tenth of a second per month off his time for four years. A tenth of a second! What small, seemingly insignificant improvement could you make in your work or life routine today that over time could make a major impact on your success?
- Celebrate the moment. The excitement, tears, hugs and celebrations that occur after someone realizes they have won are so powerful. The opening and closing ceremonies stir something within all of us. Do you take time to celebrate your moments of victory-regardless of how small they may appear? Or do you simply rush off to the next task-depriving yourself of the positive energy that comes from taking pride in a job well done?
And finally, we should recognize that some things are just out of our control. Due to rain, warm temperatures and a lack of snow, the city of Vancouver had to make major adjustments to seating venues-as many as 20,000 seats were lost for one event. Anytime we are seeking our own version of Olympic gold, we need to work tirelessly on the things over which we have control-and let go of those things beyond our control.
