Anyone can have these Olympic qualities.
The very best of the human spirit is on display during the Olympics, but how can we extend this energy beyond the two-week event?
Studio 5 Relationship Contributor Dr. Matt Townsend shared insights into the core characteristics of an award-winning athlete and how we can apply those Olympic qualities into our everyday lives.
Have Courage
“These people run toward the hardest things,” said Matt. Olympians don’t shy away from challenges… they embrace them. This courage to face fears and expectations head-on is not only applicable on the global stage, but also in our daily lives.
“When you take it on, the challenges shrink, but your power grows,” Matt explained. What’s the hard thing in your life that you need to confront?
Have a Vision
“They have clarity of vision,” Matt pointed out. Without a clear vision, goals perish. Olympians have a clear purpose and know exactly what they want to achieve. They’ve integrated their goals into their lives, making the daily ‘yeses’ easier to keep.
“We need to know the why. Once they’ve got the why and the challenge, boom. They can just keep going at it,” Matt emphasized.
Make a Plan
Olympians are good planners. They don’t just stumble upon an Olympic gold medal; they plan for it. They break down big, gnarly challenges into bite-sized pieces. “By planning and chunking it down, any challenge that you have a vision and excitement about, you can then start planning and chunking down into something that you can accomplish,” Matt explained.
Focus
“They turn everything else off, just for a period of time, and they focus on the plan,” said Matt. Whether it’s more training or discipline, the more you focus on something, the more your attention grows, your abilities grow, and your activity grows.
“Everything grows by what you focus on,” Matt said.
Take Action
Finally, Olympians are movers. They choose to act instead of just dreaming. “They don’t just dream about a gold medal. They act on it all day.” If we have a goal or a dream in our lives – something we want to do, a challenge we need to overcome, we need to start acting on it.
As we watch the Olympics and feel the surge of inspiration, let’s ask ourselves: what’s one thing that we know we need to start acting on? Let’s use that energy to go get our own gold.
Matt’s ‘Becoming One’ program is an online platform offering coaching, tools, and motivation to improve our relationships with ourselves, with our God, and with one another. It’s about trying to become one with everyone we can. For more information, visit matttownsend.com.
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