Setting Yourself Up For Athletic Success

Success…ah yes…we all strive for it!  Whether it is in athletic pursuits, business, career, fitness, family or other personal undertakings we all want to achieve our own personal success.

In this post, I am going to take a different mindset and closer look at success.  In doing so, I hope to give you a different way of approaching your own “success activities” in an effort to enhance your opportunities and chances for personal success.

I’m going to look at two aspects of success.  They are:

1.  Clarify and individualize the definition of success

2.  Overview research on elite athletes to help show the factors that may influence athletic success.

Defining Success

There are some ways to think about and understand success.  How you define success will have a significant impact on how and when you achieve success.  According to Webster’s dictionary, success is a “favorable or desirable outcome.”  Sounds good enough right?

For most people, this is the definition of success is what they are after.  That is, we strive to meet a specific outcome, after all, isn’t that SMARTER goals are for.  Some of these outcomes might be bench-pressing 225 lbs 10 times, running a sub 30 minute Warrior Dash or simply losing 10 pounds.

What ever the specific outcome and we equate it to achieving success.  As a result, we consider ourselves a failure if we do not reach our “goal.”  Let me ask you, do you consider yourself a success even if you don’t achieve your goal?  Can a person be successful without achieving a specific outcome?

If we take a different perspective and widen our understanding and definition of success, we can improve our chances of achieving personal and athletic success.  The great and legendary UCLA basketball coach, John Wooden, takes a different approach to defining success.

He defines success as “peace of mind which is the direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.” This definition is undoubtedly less “confining” because it focuses on effort put forth.  This approach to understanding success takes a unique mindset and removes the emphasis from the outcomes and suggests that success can be found through the process or journey. SIDE NOTE – this is at the heart of “positive motivation”, i.e. internist motivation.   Success can be achieved by anyone and is irrespective of the final outcome.  An individual would be successful if they committed to lifestyle changes necessary to manage her weight, regardless of the real numbers of pounds lost.

Were many of us get into trouble is our “double standards.”  We’ll watch the Special Olympics’ and comment on how every participant has achieved success.  Yet when it comes to our performances, if we don’t hit out goal, even though we have given everything we’ve got, we don’t consider ourselves a success.

Let me ask you:

• How do you define success for others?
• How do you define success for yourself?
• Are they the same?
• Is your understanding and interpretation of your own success inclusive such that effort and outcome are taken into account?
• Does you definition of athletic success hold you back or support you?

Identifying Factors That Influence Success

Watch most elite level athletes perform, most of us shake our heads in awe at what they are able to do.  We often attribute the success of these individuals to being blessed with exceptional talent; genetically gifted.  After all, how else could they accomplish such amazing feats?

I remember reading an article awhile back about this question asked of numerous Olympians.  I can’t recall the exact study and in reviewing my notes, Olympians from 1984 to 1988 were asked to identify the factors that contributed most to their success.

While these athletes acknowledged “natural talent” as a factor influencing success (ranked #6), many other factors were ranked as more important.  Take a look at these factors and think about if these factors can help influence you as you strive for success and how you can apply them in your personal and athletic life.

The Top Success Factors of Olympic Athletes

1. Dedication and Persistence – The Olympians believe that these positive qualities had a significant impact on their success.

• When you encounter obstacles, do you still persist?
• Are you committed to the pursuit of your goals?
• Are you determined to succeed…no matter what?

2. Support of Family and Friends – Success isn’t achieved alone.  A network of individuals provides degrees of support that the Olympians believed to be critical to their individual success.

• Who provides support to you?
• Who are the individuals you can rely on to provide physical or emotional support, to provide you with balance?

3. Excellent Coaches – (This is my favorite) Coaches provide much-needed expertise, knowledge, insights, skills, etc. needed in the comp is spent of goals.  Surround yourself with excellence.

• Who are the coaches that can help you achieve your goals?
• A personal trainer?
• Nutritionists?
• Business mentor?

4. Love of The Sport – The foundation of the Olympians athletic pursuits was a passion for their sport, i.e. a love for what they are doing.

• Do you enjoy what you are doing?
• Are you intrinsically motivated or do you need a push all the time?

I like to suggest you take time to consider what success means to you and look at the factors that you feel positively influenced your success.  Ask yourself:

Am I limiting myself by how I define success?

Are there areas of my life that need cultivating to help promote athletic and personal success?

As you ask and answer these questions, hopefully you will identify areas that can improve your success….if not…contact me, I will happy to assist you.

Some of this is discussed deeper in “Mental Training For Athletic Performance.”

If you really want to take your athletic performance up a notch, contact me our 3-Day, private one-on-one “Mental Training For Athletic Performance Intensive.”

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