A few months ago, I interviewed Coach Tim Adams on my podcast. He’s a world class athletic coach, an industry leading author, speaker and performance coach who has trained World Champions, Olympic medalists, NFL and NHL all-stars and MVPs. Check out my blog about our interview here or go back and take a listen to Episode 34.
I’ve wanted to speak on this topic ever since our interview. Why are elite athletes so damn good at what they do?
Yes, they have rigorous training schedules.
Yes, they have a lot of pressure and demands on them to perform so well.
Yes, they have trainers and coaches and lots of people helping them out.
But none of that matters if they don’t have:
Discipline.
Laser focus.
Determination.
Habits.
Passion.
Have you ever watched and noticed how athletes prepare themselves before their games and competitions? The amount of focus and discipline and preparation for those moments is remarkable and so admirable.
Here is my question, though: Why can WE not apply those same principles – discipline, focus, determination, habits, passion – into our EVERY DAY lives?
Take a step back and evaluate your life right now…you are a player in that game. And that game is happening every single day.
We are handed a blank slate every single day, and yet we don’t put in that same amount of effort? We don’t have that same discipline in what is, truthfully, the most important “game” – our lives. We are taking that time for granted.
Just imagine the productivity, the effectiveness, the pride in yourself you would feel if you started each day with that same level of discipline and focus (and then used that momentum to carry you throughout the day). Yes, athletes make a lot of money, performing well is their “job” and they have lots of people helping them out. But you can also carve out a little time each day by placing priority on the right things; by doing that and making small changes, it will lead you to ultimately getting the right results in your life; a life that you can look back on and feel fulfilled, engaged and like you made the best of it.
Athletes don’t work really hard for one game and then totally slack on the next; they bring 110% to every single moment. I’m not saying that’s for you; burning yourself out is not my intention here. But you can bring YOUR BEST to each day. Whatever “your best” is on that day – do that. Some days, we crush it. Other days, we need to honor ourselves and not push it so hard. That balance is key; but as long as you commit to yourself to doing your own personal best each day, that’s what will lead to a life where you feel fulfilled and without regrets.
This is your game. How you choose to play it out is totally up to you. You can do more and have more and do better. You don’t have to be an athlete to apply the same disciplines and habits and focus; you can do everything that they do. You can lean on the same habits. The recipe for success is there – you just need to start viewing your life a little bit differently.
What is that next step for you? If you could start to implement just one new habit into your day, what would that be? Decide where it is that you’re lacking (momentum, productivity, clarity, energy) and then focus in one habit to help you in that area of your life.
Whatever is coming up for you…really assess why can some do it, and some can’t? The bottom line is this: do you want to? And if you don’t, why? What’s missing that you feel like you don’t want to play all out and do your best in the days that you have? Do you think that you’re going to escape the regret? I always say that the cream rises to the top; there’s no escaping anything and no avoiding anything. Everything always comes up. We get handed the same tests over and over again until we actually conquer them. Whatever you avoid still rears it’s head eventually; the things that we don’t start to tackle and deal with show up as unhappiness, bitterness, resentment. When you start to sit with those feelings and work through them, you start making movement towards your best life. A life that is free. It’s not that things become perfect or things become easy, you just get stronger in the process.
Here’s what I don’t want for you – I don’t want you to look back on your life with regret. Regret that you could’ve tried harder, done more, challenged yourself more to be your best and live your best life. We have to realize that we don’t have all the time in the world and we have no idea what life has in store for us.
The recipe for success is there. And if you want to know more, reach out to me. Because we all can do what those elite athletes do. It’s not them versus us. We’re all the same; they’ve just chosen to be super disciplined and focused at something; they’ve chosen to settle for nothing short of the best. And when we start to use that in our day to day lives, it’s magical. You feel it and you see it; the people around you feel it and see it too. Your results shift. Your relationships become stronger. You become more clear, more focused and more productive.
It’s worth it. Start with those small steps and small changes you can make to your daily routine. I hope I’ve given you some things to think about and reflect on. Do me a favor and take some time to reflect; take some time for you. Change truly happens one choice at a time; you can do this.
And please reach out if you need some help in this area!
Group Coaching just kicked off and we have room for a few more! If you’re interested in learning more, send me an email at [email protected] and I’ll send you the details 🙂
Originally published at www.charlotteferreux.com