Every night I'm glued to the television watching another Olympic athlete fulfill their dream. Their passion and perseverance are so incredibly motivating especially for our children. Donna Weinbrecht, gold medalist and world champion mogul skier, is in the above photo with a group of children who were lucky enough to spend a day listening to and skiing with Donna. My son is wearing her Gold Medal, she was so wonderful spending time with the young skiers. We have an autographed photo of Donna on our refrigerator, it's a great reminder that anything is possible.
One of my favorite keynotes to deliver is Think Like a Champion. During the keynote, I share key concepts and amazing stories with the audience. Last year, one of my clients pinned Champion buttons on their employees after the keynote. It was tons of fun! The concepts are tied to the letters in CHAMPION.
C is for commitment, Olympic athletes are certainly committed to their event and also to their team. Did you hear about Linsey Von being a role model for the younger skiers on the USA Women's Ski Team?
H is for getting help, every champion has a coach, mentor, supporter and advisor.
A is for having the right attitude, being a champion takes mental stamina and a belief that the impossible is possible.
M is for measuring results. Collecting data and paying attention to improvement is key to success. World records are broken by hundredths of a second.
P is for passion and perseverance. P could also stand for enduring pain, it's not easy to be a champion.
I is for innovation. Diana Nyad completed her swim from Cuba to Key West on her fifth attempt because she was able to innovate. During her final attempt. She wore a jelly fish mask which protected her face from dangerous jellyfish stings.
O is for overcoming obstacles. An obstacle can be a person, a place, the weather, equipment and the list goes on.Champions focus on overcoming the obstacles.
N is for saying NO to anything that makes you lose focus on achieving your dream.
I hope 2018 is a year the you decide to Think Like a Champion and go for it!