What You and Michael Phelps Should Have in Common

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I have a true fascination with the Olympics. A celebration of sport, different cultures, peak athleticism, and the fact that is only comes around every 4 years all add to the appeal.

The other day I was driving, just thinking about the Olympics. Here’s where my mind wandered…

I watch the moment these athletes win a gold medal at the four year mark, but I do not watch the 1,459 days between the Olympic games where thousands of hours of training are put in. I do not see the 4am runs, the extra rep at the end of a workout, the PT visits, the ice baths, the “I should just quit,” or the “will this injury take away my lifelong dream?”

We see the result, not the consistent effort leading up to it.

One of my clients went viral recently (in a way that actually is very beneficial to what he does). I told him, “It seems like that just happened out of nowhere.” And he replied, “Not really though, we’ve been putting in the reps for 8 straight months.”

People see the result, not the consistent effort leading up to it.

So, when you see someone else’s success, just remember that there are hundreds and thousands of moments that created that one. You don’t need to compare your 51st moment to someone else’s 2,567th moment.

Just keep putting in the reps. Do the work. Be unseen. Push past the mental blocks. Don’t take the easy way out.

If you want to see the result, put in consistent effort.