I became an athlete when I was 7 years old. I chose to be a javelin thrower, drawn to the sport for its excitement, challenge and sheer thrill of competition. At that time, my definition of success was “just do your best.” I sincerely believed that by following this logic, I would achieve the impossible. Of course, I wanted to participate in the Olympics and to win medals, but even if I didn’t end up a winner, I would still know I did my best.
Later in life I met Inge Solheim, the famous survivalist and extreme expedition guide, who specializes in achieving the “impossible.” Meeting Inge was one of the turning points in my career and life in general. I was excited to tell him that I was determined to reach my goals in sports and life and ready to do my best. After hearing my life philosophy, he looked at me and said, “Doing your best is not enough. You have to do what it takes!”
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Inge was the best example of that. I was most inspired by his work with disabled and wounded people. He led a group of wounded servicemen and servicewomen to the South Pole, and has guided people with disabilities to the most extreme destinations of the world that would be daunting to even the fittest people.
Looking back at my experience as an athlete, I realized that all my life I was pushed by my coaches beyond what I believed I could achieve. With their guidance, I could keep pushing my limits. As I finished my sporting career and didn’t have coaches setting high goals for me, I became too soft with myself. I was too scared to set big expectations for myself, and was not confident in my abilities.
The encounter with Inge made me realize what an important role my coaches played in my success. With them, I’ve pushed my boundaries and have seen others go beyond what I thought imaginable. In order to arrive at the top, you must forgo yourself, focus on a bigger goal than you and do what it takes.
I now know that it takes a lot to be successful, whether it’s in sports or in life. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize they are capable of even more, no matter if they are already successful or are only trying to figure out their path in life.
It takes a lot to be successful, but you are capable of even more! It’s just a matter of training. No athlete was born to be great. None. It’s all about non-stop daily dedication to your goal. What can we learn from centuries-old techniques on how to develop elite athletes and how to set yourself up for success? Here are my tips:
- Coach. Why does every athlete have a coach? Do athletes lack motivation? Don’t professionals already know what to do? A coach is needed because we don’t see ourselves well from the outside. Just look at pictures or videos of yourself. Was the image in your head close to what you saw? To achieve success, you need to be guided by experts. Find an expert coach or mentor with whom you can push your abilities to achieve your best.
- Discipline. You have to work every day to achieve your dreams, and you must be focused. The skills that you need for your craft, your mind, your endurance and strength are all muscle that get weaker if you don’t continue training them.
- Plan. You have to know what the processes of growth for your business and yourself as a person are. You must know where you are at every given moment so you don’t quit when challenges arise.
- Environment. You need to have fast-moving, inspiring experts in their fields around you for constant motivation, so you will never stop!
- Testing. To build the best product or service, you have to constantly test it. In order to grow, you also need to test in order to see what you have already achieved and what you are capable of.
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In order to succeed, you need to keep developing your craft and yourself, like athletes develop their sports technique and their willpower. My partner, Alex Monaco, and I wanted to build a mental gym for people who desire to keep achieving more from life, which is how we built our online motivational training course.
With these tips, now you can become a champion in the sport of life and get the maximum from each and every day. No matter your image of yourself, you have to do what it takes!
