You all know that Olympic athletes physically train at intense levels. Those muscles are incredible. Beautiful. If you haven't noticed...simply ask any man and he'll tell you all about the beach volleyball bodies.
What about the mental edge? You can't actually physically see mental strength or weakness. However, you can get a sense for it. There's something about the look in an athlete's eyes--determination, focus, intensity. You can't measure it. And it can change in a heartbeat.
When the pressure is on, mental focus can make or break an athlete. There were several recent Olympic scenarios in which athletes overcame the mental strain of unexpected losses and succeeded:
- Swimmer Michael Phelps narrowly qualified for the final round in his 2012 Olympic opening race. He also failed to medal in that race. But Phelps persevered and went on to win an individual silver, 2 individual gold, 2 relay gold, and 1 relay silver.
- 2011 world all-around champion gymnast Jordyn Wieber failed to qualify for the Olympic all-around finals. Yet she persevered and helped lead the U.S. team to gold.
- Gymnast Gabby Douglas was the underdog, but pulled herself together and won the all-around gold. In my opinion, she became mentally exhausted (and possibly physically exhausted) from all the pressure, then struggled a bit in the event finals.
- The U.S. women’s soccer team earned several come-from-behind wins and in the end took the gold.
These athletes did not sink amid disappointment. Champions continue to fight. Most aim to replace a bad result with another good result. For example, if she loses one race, she focuses on winning the next.
No matter how good you are, you will always face mental obstacles and will always have room for improvement and greater success.
I’m a firm believer that success is always possible eventually… One word sums it up for me: Believe.
