So what can we learn from our fellow humans who are at the top of their game?

1- Everyone starts as a beginner.

Olympians did not come out of the womb with special powers destined to be Olympians. 

Yer, ok, they may be genetically gifted with long legs for high jumping, big legs for a cycling or short legs for weightlifting. BUT, they to are human just like you and I. They all started as a beginner and would have had more struggles then all of us, to learn and master the skills needed for their sport. 

So… if there is something you have been putting off because you are afraid of being a beginner, let go of that fear, grow some balls (in the most ladylike way) and give it a go! Remember YOLO!!! ps mum if your reading this “yolo” = You Only Live Once :) 

2- You only have one shot. 

Olympians spend 4 years working up to their goal, It is their only shot. 

In 4 years time, their life may be very different and there is no guarantee that they will be able to make the olympic team again, or even want to dedicate 4 years to one event. 

Lets say you didn't have tomorrow to “try again” just like the Olympians. How would you live if you knew you only had one shot at your goal? What can you change now to start living like that? Maybe you can lift your standard of training. Do you train at 100% every time? Or do you hold back a little? Start living your life at 100% not 80% because you are worth it! 

3- Start again.

I don't know the statistics, but I would put money on close to 100% of the people competing in the Olympics having their fair share of set backs to get them to where they are now. 

When the odds are against them, they have all had to fight their way back from things like injuries, self doubt, financial difficulties, relationship struggles….. The list could be endless but they have all mastered resilience. 

In the book “Legacy” Richie McCaw- All Black Captain and possibly the greatest Rugby Player to have every played, talks about his daily journal and writing “start again” so that it is drilled into his thinking for when the “plan’ doesn't go to “plan”. 

The world will always be throwing things at you to knock you down, just like an Olympian getting injured, but you just have to get back up and start again. 

When Usain Bolt was interviewed after winning his 2nd Gold at this Olympics, the interviewer asked “What is your greatest achievement”, his reply- “to come back from injury, staying focused and getting it done”. 

Next time you are feeling sorry for yourself because you are injured or you binged on pizza and ice cream, pick yourself back up and move forward. Leave it in the past and keep working towards your goals and get it done. 

4- Enjoy the journey.

These Olympians dedicate there whole life to their dream of competing at the Olympics, and out of each sport there are only 3 places on the podium and 1 winner. 

Many of the athletes will know that the chances of them being one of the lucky 3 to get a medal is almost inexistent, but that doesn't stop them putting in 110% day in day out. 

If your not enjoying the journey you are on, making sacrifices and putting in the hard yards will seems pointless. If something is important to you, you have a goal that you must achieve, remember there are many ways to skin a cat. Make sure you enjoy the process you have chosen, if not change it or change the goal!  

5- It doesn't matter where you come from, your past, your wealth, your status etc, you can still be successful! 

How about the girl from war torn Kosovo, their first Olympian and she won a medal. I cried so much watching her interview talking about how she wanted to show all the kids from Kosovo that just because they come from a time of war, doesn't mean they cant have goals.  

Or the 3rd world country Fiji, winning gold the first time having rugby 7s in the Olympics. Rugby and Rugby 7s is so important to the Fijians that they made a national/public holiday in celebration. I remember being in Fiji, watching the local Fijians train barefoot on super hard dirt with trees as goal posts, they sure don't let excuses get in their way! 

There will be thousands of stories like these, so we really have no excuse not to live up to our full potential in life. What ever it is- work/carrier, travel, relationships, fitness or even materialistic things, cut the excuses, you can achieve anything if you want it, because if a girl from Kosovo can win a medal in the olympics, you sure can achieve anything as well! 

6- Act As If.

We learnt from Alice Haemmerle ( a Master in NLP who has worked with some of the Australian Olympic team in the last Olympics) that a pair of Aussie girls who lived together, turned their whole house into gold leading up to the games. Covering their toothbrushes with gold paper, gold on the couch and walls, they really turned everything in the house gold. They were literally ‘acting as if’ they had won the gold, they even cut out pictures of people with gold medals around their neck and replaced their heads with their own!