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Author: Ed Sykes Article source: http://www.thesykesgrp.com/. Used with author's permission.
Recently, Joy and I had the pleasure of speaking at a
conference of Educational Office Professionals in Baltimore,
MD. The other speakers included Ms. Deborah Phelps,
mother of six-time gold medalist in the 2004 Summer
Olympics swimmer Michael Phelps, and Agatha von Trapp,
the 91-year-old daughter of Captain and Maria von Trapp,
the family on which the movie "Sound of Music" was based.
To say the least, there were a variety of subjects discussed
that day.
As I listened to Ms. Phelps describe Michael's
achievements, I realized that his story had many of the
secrets of success mentioned in my September article, Five
Secrets to Creating a 'Goal' Medal Life.
Let's go over these five secrets again and see how you can
apply them:
1. Create Passion with Goal Setting Ms. Phelps mentioned
that Michael, after competing in the 2000 Summer Olympics,
was excited about the experience. Michael told her he wanted
to compete again in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He had that
burning desire to compete and win. So they sat down,
developed goals, and mapped out a detailed plan for his
success.
What do you have passion about in your career, your life?
Have you put pen to paper and developed goals to achieve
what you want in life?
2. Believe in Greatness Once Michael had competed in the
2000 Summer Olympics and held his own, he now believed he
could win the swimming events in the 2004 Summer
Olympics; not only win, but shatter world records. He
visualized standing on the center stand with the gold medal
around his neck. He visualized what winning the gold
medals would look like, how it would feel, etc.
Have you visualized your "goal" medal life?
3. Create a Mastermind Group Ms. Phelps said that once
Michael set his goal, she (a single parent), his older sisters,
Michael, and his long time swim coach, Bob Bowman, came
together to develop a cohesive team for success. This was
Michael's mastermind group. This group was devoted to
removing barriers and helping Michael achieve his dream.
Bob Bowman provided the technical expertise; and Ms.
Phelps and his sisters provided the financial, emotional, and
family support to keep Michael focused on his goals. They
kept him focused on his goals while removing any
distractions.
Who is your mastermind group?
4. Embrace Challenges Michael's challenges began before
his first Olympics. He was a son of divorced parents. Yet, he
never used that as an excuse. After the 2000 Summer
Olympics, his challenge was how do I become a gold medal
athlete? He took a hard look at himself and received
feedback from his mastermind group concerning how to
make his weaknesses his strengths, and how to make his
strengths the best in the world. He attacked those
weaknesses with gusto everyday in practice.
When was the last time you asked the question, "How can I
improve my skills to become the best?"
5. Never Give Up! Ms. Phelps joked with the audience that as
a mother, Michael's style of swimming made her crazy. You
see, Michael, is a "comeback" swimmer. In most cases, he is
behind in his races. Then at the last moment, with a burst of
energy and an iron-willed belief he will win, he comes from
behind to win the race. He believes that he can win every
race as long as he is in the pool. He never gives up on his
belief that he can win.
Do you believe that you can win every race?
As Ms. Phelps left the ballroom, we embraced; and she
wished me the best. As she walked out the door, I thought
that the Phelps family is truly living a "goal" medal life…and
you can too. Start today. Ed Sykes is a professional speaker, author, and success
coach in the areas of leadership, motivation, stress
management, customer service, and team building. You can
e-mail him at mailto:esykes@thesykesgrp.com, or call him at
(757) 427-7032. Go to his web site,
http://www.thesykesgrp.com, and signup for the newsletter,
OnPoint, and receive the free ebook, "Empowerment and
Stress Secrets for the Busy Professional."
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