12/29/08
The Building Blocks of Success: Part I
With a New Year around the corner, it's time to remind ourselves of the most important contributors to your success: You!
Here's a little mental amd emotional base work to focus on to make your 2009 tremendously wonderful...
Happy New Year and thank you for visiting ironguides.net!
Category: Inner
Posted by: Vinnie
Have you ever caught yourself thinking that there must be some secret to the consistent success of top athletes in this or other sports? That it’s their perfect nutritional strategy, their über-bike technology or some secret training session they do that explains why they consistently produce results year in and year out? “Oh man”, you might think, “if I could only afford that bike frame or a year’s supply of this supplement then I’d rock!!!”
If that’s how you feel then take heart: There is a certain something that all true champions draw on to make them so consistent! It’s an elusive substance that courses through their veins, imbues their muscles with a superior resiliency, embeds itself deep in the matrix of their bones and lends them super-human strength, weaving itself deep into the fabric of their lungs, heart and minds. But sorry, if you’re thinking that it’s something the World Anti-Doping Agency comes knocking on the door at midnight to find, then you’ll be disappointed (in most cases – after all, we’re talking about true champions here, not false idols). No, what makes true champions great is a list of ingredients far more elusive than that, something that cannot be consumed, inhaled, detected or injected. They’re called the building blocks of success.
* * *
There’s a story I heard recently that was originally told by an old pro bike rider who became great . . .
When we were young, six of us from our bike club all pooled our very meagre resources and set sail for Europe to become or try to become professional cyclists. The older club members tried to advise me that I should not go with the other boys, as I was not good enough, and to be honest I even rated myself number five in only my wildest dreams.
But as they were about to leave my old dad said ‘Son, don’t be discouraged; I bet like all things in life, there is more to being a professional cyclist than riding a bike. Take your chance, and don’t weaken in the tough times. Keep your resolve and keep the dream alive. I don’t care what you do in life as you must live your own, but remember that most things can be overcome if you are strong
through the tough times. Good times will eventually come. Here, take these 15 quid, they’re all I’ve got – so make them a strong 15.’
So off I went and wouldn’t you know, out of our eager team of six I was the only one to live my life as a pro sportsman. And yes, I have had great success I suppose, but if you were to ask me how I did it, I can only tell you that it was not talent. I did not weaken in the tough times and many times I stared at that 15 quid and it made me strong. I still have it, because . . . well, my dad knew nothing about cycling but his words made me a world champion. That and that alone. So being a pro sportsman is a great life, but only if you don’t weaken; it can and will crush you if you let it.
* * *
I don’t know how many years back the old bike racer’s story goes, but the message in his words sounds eerily similar to that inherent in the title of Lance Armstrong’s autobiography It’s Not About the Bike. Similarly, when you reflect on the words of champions or other successful individuals from all walks of life, no matter what their chosen endeavour, they all reach the same conclusions about the key to their success. Captains of industry, successful politicians, athletes, famous artists, writers and musicians all share a defining trait that emerges when they try to explain their success to others, a certain “that and that alone” that often has little or nothing to do with the specifics of their field of expertise.
How often have you heard “do what you love and the money will follow?” Or if money isn’t how you measure success, consider Winston Churchill’s words “The plan is nothing – planning is everything.” “Throw caution to the wind” describes another aspect of what I’m getting at, as does “the road to success is paved with failure.” Holocaust survivor, author and psychologist Viktor Frankl put it this way: “Listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge.” Or to bring it closer to home, the infamous EmbrunMan triathlon finisher’s T-shirt reads: “Never Give Up. Do Your Best.”
Intuitively we understand the message at the heart of all these examples: If we apply ourselves with zeal, abandon and a certain doggedness to the task at hand then success is bound to follow, whether that means winning the Battle of Britain or setting a personal best at the local Y’s annual 5km. It’s not the process, it’s how we apply ourselves to that process that spells the difference between success and failure. By adopting the attitude that “we will never surrender” we give ourselves but one option and that is to succeed.
When I first started out as a triathlete I heard about another retired champion, an American cycling coach who lived in the hills somewhere in Italy and from whom North American and Aussie cyclists would seek out coaching in their quest to become pro cyclists. This coach made the point of not accepting new athletes unless they had already proven themselves in some way prior to setting off for Europe. Basically his message was “sonny, if you’re not holding down a job or going to school full-time and winning all the races in your region, there’s no way you’re going to cut it racing on this
side of the pond.” The calibre of cycling in North America and Australia has come a long way since then but the essence of that message will always hold true, more particularly so in our young sport of triathlon. “There is more to being a professional cyclist than riding a bike.” Experienced coaches know that a driven athlete, like anyone with a true, burning ambition to succeed, will find a way to make success happen no matter what obstacles they are faced with. The coach in the Italian hills demanded that athletes who dared to dream prove they also had the right stuff to do something about making
their dreams become reality. In doing so, he helped those who didn’t have the elusive “it” avoid being crushed by the life that lay in wait for those who did.
These days, however, it seems as if we are being more and more conditioned to believe that we can succeed at triathlon – at anything – without first developing a strong foundation of attitudes, beliefs and behaviour oriented towards success. Perhaps it’s because our sport is so young that it’s especially guilty of conditioning athletes of all abilities to think about improvement in terms of months, some even weeks, when all the evidence shows that in aerobic sport it’s years that count. On top of that the complexity of triathlon, the sheer gear-heaviness of it, the wide diversity of people who practise it, the great variety of distances and the extremes under which we compete has created this notion that there is some sort of “magic solution” we can pull off the shelf to succeed at triathlon.
But if that’s not the answer, then what is? What is it that drives champions to succeed over and over again? To answer this question, let’s look more closely at some of the key traits of successful individuals so that from these fundamental building blocks of success you can construct a solid foundation from which to strive for excellence in triathlon and beyond.
...tune in for the next installment...
If that’s how you feel then take heart: There is a certain something that all true champions draw on to make them so consistent! It’s an elusive substance that courses through their veins, imbues their muscles with a superior resiliency, embeds itself deep in the matrix of their bones and lends them super-human strength, weaving itself deep into the fabric of their lungs, heart and minds. But sorry, if you’re thinking that it’s something the World Anti-Doping Agency comes knocking on the door at midnight to find, then you’ll be disappointed (in most cases – after all, we’re talking about true champions here, not false idols). No, what makes true champions great is a list of ingredients far more elusive than that, something that cannot be consumed, inhaled, detected or injected. They’re called the building blocks of success.
* * *
There’s a story I heard recently that was originally told by an old pro bike rider who became great . . .
When we were young, six of us from our bike club all pooled our very meagre resources and set sail for Europe to become or try to become professional cyclists. The older club members tried to advise me that I should not go with the other boys, as I was not good enough, and to be honest I even rated myself number five in only my wildest dreams.
But as they were about to leave my old dad said ‘Son, don’t be discouraged; I bet like all things in life, there is more to being a professional cyclist than riding a bike. Take your chance, and don’t weaken in the tough times. Keep your resolve and keep the dream alive. I don’t care what you do in life as you must live your own, but remember that most things can be overcome if you are strong
through the tough times. Good times will eventually come. Here, take these 15 quid, they’re all I’ve got – so make them a strong 15.’
So off I went and wouldn’t you know, out of our eager team of six I was the only one to live my life as a pro sportsman. And yes, I have had great success I suppose, but if you were to ask me how I did it, I can only tell you that it was not talent. I did not weaken in the tough times and many times I stared at that 15 quid and it made me strong. I still have it, because . . . well, my dad knew nothing about cycling but his words made me a world champion. That and that alone. So being a pro sportsman is a great life, but only if you don’t weaken; it can and will crush you if you let it.
* * *
I don’t know how many years back the old bike racer’s story goes, but the message in his words sounds eerily similar to that inherent in the title of Lance Armstrong’s autobiography It’s Not About the Bike. Similarly, when you reflect on the words of champions or other successful individuals from all walks of life, no matter what their chosen endeavour, they all reach the same conclusions about the key to their success. Captains of industry, successful politicians, athletes, famous artists, writers and musicians all share a defining trait that emerges when they try to explain their success to others, a certain “that and that alone” that often has little or nothing to do with the specifics of their field of expertise.
How often have you heard “do what you love and the money will follow?” Or if money isn’t how you measure success, consider Winston Churchill’s words “The plan is nothing – planning is everything.” “Throw caution to the wind” describes another aspect of what I’m getting at, as does “the road to success is paved with failure.” Holocaust survivor, author and psychologist Viktor Frankl put it this way: “Listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge.” Or to bring it closer to home, the infamous EmbrunMan triathlon finisher’s T-shirt reads: “Never Give Up. Do Your Best.”
Intuitively we understand the message at the heart of all these examples: If we apply ourselves with zeal, abandon and a certain doggedness to the task at hand then success is bound to follow, whether that means winning the Battle of Britain or setting a personal best at the local Y’s annual 5km. It’s not the process, it’s how we apply ourselves to that process that spells the difference between success and failure. By adopting the attitude that “we will never surrender” we give ourselves but one option and that is to succeed.
When I first started out as a triathlete I heard about another retired champion, an American cycling coach who lived in the hills somewhere in Italy and from whom North American and Aussie cyclists would seek out coaching in their quest to become pro cyclists. This coach made the point of not accepting new athletes unless they had already proven themselves in some way prior to setting off for Europe. Basically his message was “sonny, if you’re not holding down a job or going to school full-time and winning all the races in your region, there’s no way you’re going to cut it racing on this
side of the pond.” The calibre of cycling in North America and Australia has come a long way since then but the essence of that message will always hold true, more particularly so in our young sport of triathlon. “There is more to being a professional cyclist than riding a bike.” Experienced coaches know that a driven athlete, like anyone with a true, burning ambition to succeed, will find a way to make success happen no matter what obstacles they are faced with. The coach in the Italian hills demanded that athletes who dared to dream prove they also had the right stuff to do something about making
their dreams become reality. In doing so, he helped those who didn’t have the elusive “it” avoid being crushed by the life that lay in wait for those who did.
These days, however, it seems as if we are being more and more conditioned to believe that we can succeed at triathlon – at anything – without first developing a strong foundation of attitudes, beliefs and behaviour oriented towards success. Perhaps it’s because our sport is so young that it’s especially guilty of conditioning athletes of all abilities to think about improvement in terms of months, some even weeks, when all the evidence shows that in aerobic sport it’s years that count. On top of that the complexity of triathlon, the sheer gear-heaviness of it, the wide diversity of people who practise it, the great variety of distances and the extremes under which we compete has created this notion that there is some sort of “magic solution” we can pull off the shelf to succeed at triathlon.
But if that’s not the answer, then what is? What is it that drives champions to succeed over and over again? To answer this question, let’s look more closely at some of the key traits of successful individuals so that from these fundamental building blocks of success you can construct a solid foundation from which to strive for excellence in triathlon and beyond.
...tune in for the next installment...