Lessons From the Olympics
by Leslie Charles, CSP
Perhaps you tuned into some of the Olympic Winter Games as I did, where you may have been awed, inspired, or possibly even irritated by some of the performances, interplays between athletes, human interest ploys, or chewy pieces of gossip that were bandied about.
But before the full experience falls prey to our incredibly efficient self-cleaning brains, it would be helpful to identify two small enriching and enduring lessons that can benefit us for the long term.
The first involves time: in watching these incredible athletes, we see the results of a LOT of hard work. It helps to remember that behind those incredible performance are hundreds to thousands of hours of concentrated practice. It requires an incredible amount of repetition if you want to take a skill to world class level.
"I was never was content unless I was trying my skill...or testing my endurance."-Jim Thorpe
Here's the other lesson: if you do something every day (from minutes to hours) you build a habit that gets "wired in" and is always there for you when you need it. So maybe you're thinking that you're not a world class athlete (me neither) but you can build world class thinking skills if you want.
The secret to resilience, mental hardiness, and staying power is the practice of positive thinking. From visualization to positive affirmation to application (practice), over and over again, with a few tweaks in between; that's what it takes. Yes, the discipline is difficult but the skill building endures over time. Every elite athlete that's ever lived had to make that first awkward attempt, only they didn't quit. We can do the same. Imagine what a difference world class thinking skills might make for you! My thought: you can do it (there's the first affirmation, you choose the rest).
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© Leslie Charles, CSP, Speaker, Author, Facilitator, Inspirational Jewelry Artist
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Source: May, 2010 Put Old on Hold NewsletterBarbara Morris — Image F/X Publications
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