See Your Podium

Athletes use visualizations in order to perform at their
peak. This isn’t a “woo-woo” thing or pop psychology. What your mind sees your
body will attempt to do.

As a golfer I know how true this is. When my self-talk is
“Don’t go in the water” I’m not surprised when I hear a splash. The reason this
happens is because your subconscious doesn’t process negatives. It heard “Go in
the water.” My focus was on the water, not on the green.

Keep your language positive and specific. Christine Nesbitt,
a gold medalist in speed skating said “I picture myself on the podium, winning
a gold medal.”

When you visualize your own podium moment include as much
detail as possible as well as when you will achieve it. Use all five senses when creating this vision. Ask yourself …

• 
  What do I see around me?
• Who is here with me?
• What is the quality of the light?
• 
  What can I hear?
• 
  What scents are in the air?
• 
  Is there a taste on my tongue at this moment?
• What am I wearing?
• What is the feel on my skin?
• Is my heart racing or am I perfectly calm?

Of course, the first
and foundational question always is  -
What do I feel in my heart in this moment? Connect to that feeling. That
detail will never change.

I encourage
you to spend some time this week to fashion this mental picture and nail it
down. Commit it to memory so you can recall it in an instant. Use it. Share it.
Speaking something out loud is one more way to make it real.

I'll close with one more quote from another 
Olympian, Shawn White, the American snowboarder who said, “I didn’t come all
this way to hold back.”

Give your
vision everything you’ve got to bring it to life. It’s that important.

 

 

More Olympics

Here
are a few more great things I learned from watching the Olympics that I want to
share with you:

At the end of the men's cross country races, each skier
approached the finish line holding nothing back. Mouths wide open, gasping for
every ounce of oxygen with a grimace of concentration, they never let up. As I
watched, not one skier stopped or even hesitated until AFTER he or she crossed
the finish line, THEN they collapsed to the ground.

Their focus was beyond the goal and that focus carried them over it.

During the women's snowboarding final there were four racers
coming down the track. Three of them were assured a medal position. Then one
fell. When she got up she withdrew from the race, probably assuming she now had
no chance. However, a few moments later a second boarder fell and I couldn't
help wondering — if that first woman had gotten up and kept going – would the
bronze medal have been hers after all?

Keep moving even if you fall.You don't know what lies ahead that may work in
your favour.

 

So how does this translate to your own life? Simply this -don't hold back anything. Give
it your best and give it all.

 

"Until
one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always
ineffectiveness…The moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence
moves, too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never
have occurred." W.N. Murray

 

Your Olympic Support Team

I will admit that I am not a big sports fan. If the Maple Leafs ever win a Stanley Cup don't stop the bandwagon for me because I won’t be climbing aboard. However, I DO love the Olympics. In fact, I've watched more TV these past few days than I've watched in the last 12 months. Here's why I love the Olympics :
 
I learn something about leadership and commitment from these incredible people and their stories.

For instance, watch the Olympics for awhile and you quickly realize that the people accompanying each athlete hold one thing in common – their absolute belief in that athlete and an unwavering support of the dream. A skeptic just doesn’t have a chance around them.

That support didn’t begin with the Olympics. Over the years of training and competitions, each athlete surrounded themselves with carefully chosen allies as their journey progressed. It may have been only parents or a friend at first, but the circle grew as each positive addition was welcomed. Disbelievers and doubters were bade good-bye or left on their own accord.

When the going is tough, the athlete wants someone they can turn to and see their dream caught and reflected back to them.  Something as simple as a hug and the assurance “I know you can do it” may be the key to their next triumph. The energy of the athlete’s own belief becomes magnified, bigger than their own doubts and fears.

Who is your support team? Who are your biggest fans? Have you found your coach?  Ask them to help you hold the dream. When you run into that skeptical family member or the friend who is always pessimistic, don’t allow them to rain on your dream.  Be choosy about who you surround yourself with because you do have a choice. 

Here’s one more great thing about these Olympic supporters. All the athlete needs to do is go out there and give it their absolute best. Their family and friends still love and respect them even when they don’t stand on the podium.

So make a commitment to your vision and go for it, surrounded by your own Olympic Support Team.