Learning From The Olympics

We can learn from the Olympics in our everyday lives and working lives. Some people, not me, are just born to be athletes. Other people need work hard to build skills. Both types of person have something in common. They both train to excel at what they do. Sportsmen and women not only train their bodies to improve speed, strength, endurance, or their sport related skills, they also train their minds to manage stress, overcome challenges, and control their emotions.Visualisation or imagery is a common technique used by successful sportspeople. An athlete who visualises him or herself performing well in competition is more likely to perform well. With perfect practice the mind cannot tell the difference between imagined events and events that actually happened, as well as building confidence in carry out the task. Building confidence in the mind's eye, improves performance.At the Olympics stress management is probably more important than, perhaps, other of the sporting contests. The level of anxiety coming once every four years, along with intense media coverage is enough to break even the highest-calibre athlete. This means training to manage stress and control emotions. This can be done outwith competitive settings; and will give elite athletes a mind-over-matter head start on the competition.Coaches are critical to an athlete's success. No athlete has achieved greatness by him or herself. Coaches give the athlete clarity on strategy, direction, goal setting, and feedback. Having someone objective to provide fundamental support increases the odds of improved athletic performance.So, as a spectator, what can we learn from the sports psychology of elite athletes? In a nutshell it's this: No matter what your challenge, get your head focussed on the winning post. Work hard, play hard, think positively, manage stress, and have a solid support system. Whether you are racing up the corporate ladder or keeping on track as a parent, doing it alone is hard work and natural talent will only get you so far.So as you cheer your favourite athletes this summer remember winning isn't everything. Preparing to win just might be. NLP has skills to help you do this look at our Introducing NLP or Foundation Diplomacourses and look at what other people say here.

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