“I just went out and had some fun.”
That’s what Simone Biles said after winning the Gold Medal. Her refrain has been repeated by winning athletes for as long as I can remember watching the Olympics.
“Fun.” What a concept.
Clearly an Olympian’s journey to Gold is not about FUN everyday. In fact, Olympians endure grueling schedules, suffer painful injuries, sacrifice social relationships and struggle with their own inner demons at epic levels.
Olympic athletes aren’t superhuman–they just do superhuman things over and over and over again. They expand their limits beyond what’s reasonable. They disrupt the status quo. They catapult themselves into the unknown and uncomfortable and fail tens of thousands of times.
But every time they fail, they fail, in the words of Lisa Nichols, “FORWARD.”
They inspire us because they give us a glimpse of what’s possible when total focus and determination are applied. As we cheer from the stands or the comfort of our couches, we borrow the benefits of their commitment, intensity and passion.
But what if instead of borrowing vicariously, we took on a single Olympian trait? What if we decided to act a tad more Olympian in our everyday life?
What trait might that be?
Constraint of decision making.
Olympians decide in advance what they will do and they commit to it. They don’t negotiate with their plans. It’s a done deal. Il fait accompli. Non negotiable.
There isn’t a smidge of wobble whether or not they’ll complete their 4, 6 or 8 hour training or whatever else their commitment is.
This single non-negotiable action guarantees them inevitable success. It is the one action that can liberate or sabotage us before we even get out of bed.
How often do you negotiate with your plans? From the morning alarm, to the office donut, to the ride home where you talk yourself out of the gym.
All too often, if we don’t succumb straight away to our limiting beliefs, we negotiate with them. We engage and indulge the thoughts that tell us we are too old, too young, too scared, too weak, too unsure too… too… fill in your favorite tagline.
But, what if we deemed our limiting beliefs terrorists. Would we negotiate with terrorists? What if for one day we chose to make a decision and NOT NEGOTIATE?
Start with something small—perhaps the snooze button. Decide when the alarm rings, you will pop out of bed and say, “YES!” and begin your day with vigor. What will you do to go for the GOLD?
Will you find your inner OLYMPIAN this week?
I always wake up early enough and PLAN to follow the Morning Miracle regimen set out by Hal Elrod (15 minutes of reading, exercise, meditation and writing) one magical hour before 8 am, but find that I don’t always get each one done. But, this week, I’m willing to channel my inner Olympian and commit. I’ll use a timer and not negotiate.
Will you? Please share your medal winning accomplishments.
See you on the podium.
