#olympicmindset
By: Heather Meeker Green
There is something so inspiring about Olympic athletes. It’s that feeling I get while watching the competition, scanning the results, and even occasionally listening to the endearing backstory (that the media has crafted to boost rankings) of particular teams or individuals who overcome adversity. While I may be too old to start training for a career in Olympic gymnastics, I never fail, summer or winter games, to be in awe of and motivated by the talent of these athletes from all over the world. I am resigned to the fact that I will never master the art of a Triple Salchow à la Gracie Gold or a halfpipe Yolo like Iouri Podladtchikov. Yet oftentimes, there is a more concrete takeaway that I can actually apply in my daily life, which these top performers exude.
I call it the olympic mindset. This goes well beyond the technical skills of their sport. It’s the mental aptitude that affects perseverance, determination and focus. It’s the ability to discover one’s strengths, foster attitudes of success, and manage one’s energy and emotions to obtain results. This is an intentional practice, much like the daily regime of training and conditioning. I guarantee you that no olympic athlete ever got to this stage by being on “autopilot.”
This is what I aspire to daily, only I apply it in a different context. Instead of the hockey rink or the luge run, I’m in a conference room, at a podium, or maybe even behind my computer screen preparing to or engaging with colleagues, clients or prospects. I may be training, conversing or negotiating, and my goal is to enhance the relationship while obtaining specific results.
I believe this transformation from a merely skills-based exercise to a fully developed application of a mindset is what sets apart the amateurs from the experts. It’s the compilation of one’s physical skills combined with intellectual competencies through the lens of self-awareness which produces a cumulative impact that is a newer, better mindset.
1 + 1 = > 2
Mind you, this is not for the faint-hearted. This is no flimsy New Year’s resolution. We need to recognize the criticality of regular practice and application. To sustain this olympic mindset, we need to hone our abilities by:
Developing a practice for continuous self-learning
Identifying limiting patterns and changing them for better results
Responding to and decreasing fear and stress
Increasing self-confidence
Taking on different points of view to obtain better outcomes
Not reacting but choosing how to respond
Developing and leveraging emotional awareness
Approaching any situation with best-thinking
With the 2014 Olympics drawing to a close on February 23rd, I feel I have been re-invigorated by displays of greatness, teamwork, and global citizenry as well as having been conditioned by failure, disappointment, and injury.
What is your olympic takeaway?