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5 Simple Olympics Lessons Will Make You A “Goals” Medalist
The competitions are over.
The medals have been awarded.
The closing ceremony is done.
The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris has come to an end. Until this year, I had no idea how much I enjoyed the Olympics. It helps that Paris (plus NBC/Peacock) did a phenomenal job hosting and presenting every minute of the action – and the stories behind the competitors.
I enjoyed this year’s Olympics so much that I found myself getting sucked into sports I had never watched before. For example, I spent almost two hours watching the women’s hammer throw and another couple of hours watching weightlifting. Unsurprisingly, I watched a lot of weightlifting and running since they are the sports I participate in.
Naturally, as a life coach, I started reflecting on some of the goal success lessons inherent in the Olympics. In today’s post, I want to share the five ah-has that most resonated with me – my hot takes, if you will.
The Olympics is built on a foundation of goals…
No Olympic athlete starts their journey by competing at the Olympics. These athletes have spent years practicing, competing and achieving (or failing at) their goals. By the time we see them complete, the Olympians have already conquered hundreds of goals, leading them to that point.
The Olympics wouldn’t exist without goals.
The next time you are trying to set goals and hesitate with fear, just think about the Olympians. They started with one small goal and now have the talent and courage to compete on the biggest of stages. It just takes one goal to get started.
How to compete like an Olympian: set big goals, crush them and then set bigger goals. Never be afraid to go big and compete (with yourself) on a big stage.
There is no “Olympian” body type…
Here’s a fun challenge for you. Look at all of the Olympic medalists side-by-side and notice their bodies. The body diversity (thick vs. thin, tall vs. short, etc.) is stunning. There is no “Olympian” body type, it takes all body types to make an Olympics.
Within a single sport, there may be a “standard” body type; simmers, for example, have similar builds. When you compare a swimmer to a runner, a weightlifter to a basketball player, the “standard” body type disappears. Even within a single sport, you may find many body types. When watching the hammer throw for multiple hours, it was striking how different each person was.
The next time you find yourself comparing your body to someone else’s and getting discouraged, remind yourself that every Olympian and every person’s body is different and unique to them. You don’t have to fit any standard; you only need to be YOU.
How to compete like an Olympian: love your body and what it does for you. Don’t compare your body to somebody else… you don’t need to be like them.
An Olympian’s most important muscle…
While watching a running event (I think it was the women’s 400m), I paid close attention to the athletes before the run started. It was only a few minutes before these runners were going to compete in the biggest race of their lives. Surprisingly, not a single one of the runners looked nervous. They all looked calm and relaxed; they were smiling and having fun.
Upon closer inspection, I noticed something else with the pre-race athletes. Many runners were talking to themselves; as a coach, I quickly realized what they were doing. They were running through affirmations and performance reminders and visualizing their run. These are common tools people use to manage their mental energy and performance, and these Olympians used them right there on the big stage.
Olympic athletes spend hundreds of hours training their bodies and muscles to perform at their best. But every Olympian knows the most important muscle for them to train is their brain. Success or failure with every goal starts inside the brain well before the rest of the body gets involved.
The next time you think affirmations, visualization and other mental exercises are too woo-woo or total bullshit, remember how many Olympic medals relied on these techniques. It’s time to train your brain for your performance.
How to compete like an Olympian: train your brain regularly. Find the techniques that work for you and embrace them… they aren’t bullshit!
Every Olympic performance is a team performance…
Some Olympic sports are clearly team sports (basketball, soccer, relays, etc.) and some are individual sports. At least, this is what we might think. In actuality, every Olympic competition is a team performance. Nobody does it alone.
As you watch Olympians and listen to their stories, you discover a team of people behind each of them. From their families who sacrificed for their child’s Olympic dreams to trainers, peers, and coaches, there is a large team behind every athlete, whether competing solo or not.
While talking about the team behind every Olympian, I want to call out coaches – good coaches matter. I saw Olympic coaches celebrating athletes’ wins more vigorously than the athletes themselves. I saw coaches comforting and correcting in times of failure. Most of all, I saw coaches who had strong bonds with the athletes and wanted nothing but the best for them. You deserve a coach who is all-in on helping you perform your best and live the life of your dreams.
How to compete like an Olympian: don’t go it alone! Build a team of experts, accountability partners and supporters who will be there to help you achieve your goals. And don’t forget to work with a coach who wants you to achieve your goal as much as you do.
Be proud of yourself and celebrate great efforts…
One of my favorite lessons from the Olympics involves celebration. When the athletes reached the finish line, they were proud of themselves and celebrated unapologetically. Many of those success celebrations included a hearty dose of swagger. They earned it!
Better yet, the celebrations weren’t limited to the victors. Athletes celebrated and cheered each others’ performances regardless of who came in first. There is plenty of celebration to go around, and pride in your performance doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game. Just because someone else won doesn’t have to mean you lost.
How to compete like an Olympian: be proud of your efforts and unapologetically celebrate your successes, no matter their size. But don’t stop there. Celebrate the efforts and wins of others, too, no matter whether you consider them a competitor.
Were you inspired by the Olympics too? Are you ready to follow suit and elevate your game? I would be honored to be your coach and celebrate with you at your finish line… and your starting line… and every step along the way. I am a certified master life coach with loads of tools to help you achieve the gold medal in your life.
I believe in you; let me help YOU believe in you!
Meet Coach Tony
My name is Coach Tony, and I am a coach, author and project manager on a mission. I am working to build a world where no goal ever dies of loneliness.
I almost allowed one of my biggest life goals to die without ever being attempted for forty years. My goal almost died, not of failure but of loneliness. But, I took a risk and leveraged a simple, logical process that helped me wildly exceed my goal.
I transformed my life, and you can do the same with the help of Operation Melt.
Operation Melt provides engaging, practical content and hands-on coaching to inspire, motivate and equip project managers and other left-brained high-achievers to pursue and accomplish their biggest goals.
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