What You Can Learn From Michael Phelps and his Olympic Medal Bid

Michael Phelps came to Beijing with a goal – to earn 8 gold medals in one Olympics. That would put him one up on fellow American Mark Spitz who currently holds the record with his 7 gold medals earned at the 1972 Munich games.

If you pay attention to the interviews with the Olympic athletes you will notice they almost all have something in common. They have set a goal. That goal may be to improve a time or, like Michael Phelps, to win 8 gold medals.

We see the athletes performing in the Olympic Games. What we don’t see is the thousands of hours that go into preparing for that performance. The goal is what gives the athlete the determination and focus to continue to work, even when it may seem impossible.

Start by setting your goals. They may seem impossible at the time. But the more you focus on those goals, the more you will begin to do the things necessary to move toward reaching them.