Olympic Wisdom: 3 Tips For Setting Goals

Do you long to win the gold from where you are now?  What does it take to be a champion?  This is the first post in a three part series, “Olympic Wisdom”.

“So, can you tell me what products I should be using?”  This is a question I get a lot.  I’m no Olympic coach, but this question is like a fledgling athlete asking his new coach what swimsuit he should wear on the first day in the pool.  Um, learning how to swim might be the first thing he needs to worry about. 

Olympic fever has gripped many of us these past two weeks, causing many of us to lose sleep, stare in amazement and cheer for a realized dream.  How do these people run so far without collapsing, swim faster than some marine life and jump so darned high?  What does it take to be a champion?  We’ll take a look at the advice of a former Olympian, the merits of setting yourself up to win and the lessons that lie within the traditional grand finale of the Olympiad: the marathon.  There are many roads to the top, different passions we all carry and much to learn along the way.  No matter who you are or what you do, you can achieve greatness. Take a look at what these amazing athletes are doing, and hopefully you will find a piece of wisdom to carry toward your own goals.

First up is this video from Olympian and IOC Member, Rania Elwani:

Here’s what I’m taking away from this video:

1.  Visualize a dream:  Take small steps each day toward the goal, because nothing big is ever accomplished in a day.  It takes days, weeks, months and even years to train, work at and develop any path in work or life.  Take a small step today, keeping your dream in front of you.

2.  There’s always something to work on:  When my laptop nearly crashed the other day, I couldn’t work on some things I really needed to.  I started to get wildly irritated when I realized I wouldn’t have it for two days while it was being repaired.  Then, I took a deep breath and looked around my office, and spotted a book I’d put aside several weeks prior.  So, I took my son outside to play and dove into the book.  Guess what?  I picked up something that was so timely it gave me chills.  (Thanks evil blue error screen.)

3.  Focus on small steps: Ever looked at a goal and been gripped with fear?  Sometimes the sheer size of a goal can paralyze you, so take a step back.  I have experienced this many times with clients, where piles of paper have accumulated for many reasons like a fear of success or just making some scary decisions.  A plan breaks down the steps needed, and makes the end result seem much more reachable.  The next action is to take the first step.

What did you learn from this video?