Act like an Athelete

ACT LIKE AN ATHLETE

 

One of the best ways I know to create  spectacular results in the most important areas of your life is through daily practice. Top athletes know that practice is how you get to greatness. I was in Moscow a while back for a series of speeches and workshops. One morning I went down to the hotel gym for a workout. It was 6 am. Guess who was there? Mary Pierce, the tennis start. For two hours, she ran, lifted weights, did sit-ups and countless push-ups. She was paying the price for success.

 

You need to practice to get to your greatness. Athletes know this so very well. Why does it seem so foreign to the rest of us? Sure practice takes discipline. But as my friend Nido Qubein often says: “the price of discipline is always less than the pain of regret”. Wise man.

 

What I’m suggesting is that personal and professional greatness takes work. I would never suggest that you could get to your dreams without having to make some sacrifices and pay the price in terms of dedication and self-control. “Pay the price”. Words with the ring of truth. The best among us make it all look so easy. I call it the Swan Effect – elite performers make personnel and business mastery look effortless and seem to make things happen as gracefully as a swan moves along the water. But, like the swan, what you don’t get to see is all the planning, discipline, hard work and near-flawless execution taking place below the surface.

 

Yes, sometimes life sends you unexpected challenges that knock you off tract – that’s just life happening. But with a series of best practices in place to keep you at your highest, you’ll stay in a positive state much more often. Practices that will lock you into your best may include a morning journaling session where you record your feelings, thoughts and the blessings you are greatful for. Or you may start your day with a strong workout and an elite performer’s meal. I often listen to music for 15 minutes as it not only energizes me, it makes me feel happier. I also use Success statements or affirmations to get my mind focused. Success & Joy and inner peace don’t just show up. You need to create them. Find your series of practices, perform them with consistency. And then go out into this beautiful world of ours and shine.

 

 

“Top athletes know that practice is how you get to greatness”