Principles from Michael Phelps, Legendary Olympian Swimmer
Champion's Mindset: Unveiling the Michael Phelps Approach to Success
Estimated reading time (5 minutes)
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Get the free newsletter (Join 200,000+ investors)Principle of the Week
“Winners focus on Winning. Losers focus on Winners.”— Michael Phelps.
Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman shared an extraordinary partnership throughout their careers. Their journey started when Phelps was very young, and Bowman played a pivotal role in his physical and mental growth. Athletes often talk about handling pressure, and Phelps and his coach had a unique approach to dealing with it.
In an interview, Phelps credited his coach's mentorship for making him an exceptional swimmer, leading to an astonishing 28 Olympic medals. He highlighted a particular training incident that emphasized their distinctive approach to preparation.
Phelps revealed that his coach would deliberately challenge him in practice, such as breaking his goggles, to help him mentally prepare for any unforeseen circumstances during competitions. Phelps recalled a remarkable incident from the 2008 Olympics, where his goggles filled with water during a race. Despite swimming mostly blind for a substantial part of the race, he remained calm, won the gold, and even broke the world record.
This remarkable ability to adapt to adversity and perform at the highest level is a testament to Phelps' exceptional skills. Swimming a major portion of a race blind and still achieving victory and a world record is the stuff of legends, and Phelps made it a reality. His extraordinary career saw him dominate the Olympics from 2004 to 2016, amassing a record-breaking collection of medals.
Phelps' story exemplifies the importance of mental resilience and adaptability in the face of unexpected challenges, qualities that anyone, especially budding entrepreneurs, can learn from and apply in their own pursuits. Success often hinges on the ability to remain calm and focused when faced with adversity, much like Phelps did in the pool.
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Question to Ponder
There is a great warrior mantra that says: “SWEAT MORE IN TRAINING — BLEED LESS IN BATTLE”. When you are faced with a new situation - a sales meeting, a date, a presentation - do you feel you are overprepared or underprepared?
Call to Action
Michael Phelps' success isn't just about swimming; it's about a mindset and work ethic that can be applied in any endeavor. If you want long-term consistent success, you must change your mindset and be willing to do the uncomfortable.
Here are 10 things inspired from Michael Phelps’ mindset framework that you can use today:
Set Your Gold Medal Goals: Define clear, inspiring goals. Just as Phelps aimed for gold medals, pinpoint what you want to achieve, and set specific targets and timelines.
Cultivate Mental Resilience: Train your mind to stay strong under pressure. Develop unwavering confidence and the ability to handle adversity with grace. Phelps showed extraordinary composure when things went awry. Train your mind to stay focused and confident amidst challenges.
Dive into Consistent Practice: Dedicate time daily for focused practice. Phelps put in the hours in the pool. Dedicate time each day to work on your skills or goals. Consistency is key.
Embrace Challenges as Opportunities: See challenges as pathways to personal growth. Just as Phelps tackled difficulties head-on, view obstacles as chances to learn and excel.
Adapt and Learn Continuously: Stay open to learning and adapt as circumstances change. Similar to Phelps, remain flexible, adjust your approach based on results and feedback.
Build a Supportive Network: Surround yourself with mentors, peers, and friends who encourage and challenge you to be your best, just as Phelps had his coach.
Visualize Your Success: Incorporate visualization techniques into your routine. Imagine reaching your goals; this practice boosts motivation and self-assurance. Phelps use to visualize winning the night before a race. He pictures exactly how he wants to race in the pool. Every minute detail is visualized: the starts, the strokes, the walls, the turns, the ends, and the strategies. He programs his unconscious mind to win.
Beat Your Personal Records: Compete with yourself. Phelps consistently outperformed his previous records. Measure your progress not just against others but against your past achievements. The "Personal Best" approach, discussed in the Journal of Behavioral Science, encourages competition with oneself, which can lead to improved performance.
Celebrate Every Victory: Acknowledge and celebrate your successes, big or small. Phelps celebrated his wins as a motivator to keep going. The positive psychology research of Martin Seligman shows that acknowledging and celebrating small wins can enhance well-being and motivation.
Be Adaptable to Change: Stay ready to pivot when situations shift. Maintain a focus on your ultimate goal while being adaptable and quick to respond to new challenges. The American Psychological Association highlights the importance of adaptability as a key trait in fostering resilience and thriving in changing environments.
Video of the Week
“I think goals should never be easy. They should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.” - Michael Phelps
If you want to learn more principles, I interview founders on my podcast, The First 100, where they share how they acquired their first 100 paying customers. This week:
Episode 101 - The First 100 with Mohit Kumar, the Founder and CEO of Ultrahuman
Episode 102 - The First 100 with Gerald Kierce, Founder of Trustible
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