Did you see the Beijing Olympics, the World Cup Soccer or Wimbledon this year? Rarely are we privileged to witness such triumph and human spirit at its absolute best.
How did all those athletes get motivated, especially the gold medalists and the winners?
Was it the thought of the gold medal itself that kept them running, jumping, swimming or facing whatever feat of endurance that will write them into the history books?
Well, perhaps. But we know that what we saw them all do was the end of very, very long journeys for those incredibly motivated men and women.
Along the way, most of them will have faced failures, challenges such as injuries or changes in their personal lives, and there will for many of them I am sure, have been times when they lost heart and just believed they could not succeed.
We all know this. Most of us don’t even aspire to be Olympic athletes, but we each do have our dreams – for our businesses, our families, our relationships and ourselves.
Who wants to write a novel? Who’d like to perform their own song or play? Who wants to be a millionaire?
The journeys to dreams are rarely straightforward or without challenge. If they were, they’d hardly be worth having. The glory of an Olympic gold medal is precisely because it’s extraordinarily difficult to earn one. If they were handed out like candy at a kids birthday party, no one would have the slightest interest in a gold medal or gold medallist!
However, the biggest challenge isn’t with the feat of endurance – it’s with your own mind. You have to believe that you can do whatever it is, and in those moments when doubt creeps in, at those dark times when you lose heart, you have to know how to get back on track – fast!
Your coach, if you have one, can be a great help. Family and friends will rally round to support you. But ultimately it’s down to you. If you keep shaking your head saying, “I can’t do it. I can’t, I can’t,” eventually even your coach will leave you behind – and they’ll find someone else who believes they can!
Masters of Success know this. They know how to recognize the signs and symptoms of self doubt. More than that, they know how re-ignite the flame of desire for the goal, and fan that flame into a fervour that drives them – with passion – to keep going. That flame eventually becomes their personal blaze of glory.
Stay motivated. It sounds simple, but unless you know how to follow that instruction, it’s as daft as saying to someone who’s stressed, “Try to relax.” (What do you suppose they’ve been doing?)
Success comes from within. Motivation is a major component of any kind of success.
Going for gold?
See you at the top!
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