I have to admit that I am not a big “OLYMPICS” fan.. but I was so glad my husband is a sports fanatic a couple of nights ago, because I was able to catch the most exciting swimming competition, with of course Michael Phelps winning the Gold. If you were watching, I am sure you will remember it… It was when he won the Gold Medal by only 1/100 of a second.
When you watch the last second of this race replayed over and over, it is obvious how he “stole” the lead at the last second – literally. You see the man who won the Silver Medal finished his last stroke, and being so close to the wall, coasted towards the touchpad with his arms outstretched. In that last second, however, Michael took one more bold stroke and almost “landed” on the touchpad… and WON.
How exciting!!! Of course, Michael Phelps is a miraculous athlete. Humble. Dedicated. Laser-Focused. But this victory (of course) got me thinking about business… and life in general. I mean, it shows us so many things:
** “Coasting” will sometimes cost us the Gold. To dominate any field, we must stay in action.
** ACTION always wins.
** The difference between first and second place is sometimes almost negligible.
I also love the way Michael talks about his coach. Of course, the most successful in ANY field have coaches… the top swimmers, the top in golf, the top in business, the top executives. BUT, the way Michael talks about his coach answers a lot of questions about this “miracle athlete”. You see, Michael’s coach doesn’t “coddle” him… hoping he won’t be “fired”. He pushes him. He challenges him. He pushes him past his own limits… I would love to meet this man.
When I saw that ONE one-hundredth of a second was all that seperated the Gold and Silver medalists, it reminded me of a short inspirational movie I saw once about the difference one degree makes At 211 degrees, you simply have hot water. At 212 degrees, water will boil… producing steam. STEAM can power a train. The difference of just one degree….
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FpJQqzJj534]
Check out that movie HERE.
What a great comparison! It is amazing yet kinda scary to think that that small of a difference can cost someone something as HUGE as a Gold medal or thousands of dollars! It’s definitely time to turn up the HEAT 🙂
This is exactly what I have known all along. In life, there are no competitions but different degrees of commitment and individuality.
I watched the female runners and they very seldom look to the side to see who is passing them. They know how much ahead they are and how much faster they need to go. They KNOW. Their attention and intention is in the finish line and never during the race you sense hesitation. Once they have started the race they don`t second guess they just keep going.
Lack of individuality, however, creates perceived competition with someone “perceived” to be better. When you stop worrying about what the others are doing and focus your energy, attention and intention on your goal, you become a winner.
I just wanted to say Good Morning to you Michelle! We haven’t received a newsletter in several weeks *insert crying emoticon*, I hope all is well!