What is an Olympian?  An Olympian is “majestic in manner”, “superior to mundane affairs”

and “surpasses all others in scope and effect”. Watching the start of the 2012 Olympic games, it is hard not to be enamored by the pure motivation and dedication put forth by each athlete. You might think to yourself, “Would I have what it takes to get there?” Given the right conditions and motivation we can all be successful at anything we put our minds to. We all have an “Inner Olympian” that can be nurtured and supported until we create or reach our gold medal in life.

If you could find the unrelenting drive to succeed, what would you do? Turn your dreams into a reality with these 4 secrets to finding YOUR “Inner Olympian. “

1. Unyielding movement towards the end goal

“Keep your eye on the prize.” Olympic athletes work towards their goals at a deliberate and progressive pace, never losing sight of their goal. An Olympic athlete is the epitome of unceasing effort towards “massive action.” You may be asking yourself what is “massive action”? Simply put, massive action is putting forth maximum effort to get maximum results.

For you, that may be reaching new heights in your personal or professional life or maybe you have set a fitness goal for yourself. Each day, whether the focus is small or large, you should be in action, taking yourself one step closer to that goal.

Authors of the best-selling book The 4 Disciplines of Execution, Sean, Chris McChesney, and Jim Huling, suggest two simple ways you can track your progress. One: keep a scoreboard. In order to be successful, you need to determine if you are winning or losing. Competition and keeping score, even with ourselves is proven to push us harder and further. It helps if you can visually see on a weekly calendar or tally sheet that you are making progress. Two: report regularly. Accountability is one of the biggest keys to success. Just like a coach holds an athlete accountable for their performance, evaluate at the end of each week and then commit to new goals.

Once you are standing on that pedestal gold medal in hand, remember it doesn’t stop there. Planning, preparation and execution does not end at the gold medal, this journey has just prepared you for your next challenge in life.

2. Knowledge is only useful when incorporated with action

“Knowledge is power.” An athlete knows their sport from the inside out. They are constantly learning. They understand the physiology, psychology and the biomechanics behind their sport and apply their learned knowledge to become a faster, stronger and an overall better competitor. Knowledge should be followed by action, however most of us do not apply this to our daily lives, let alone to succeeding in our goals. Until you decide to take action, you will stay stagnant. Take action and you will succeed in your goals.

3. Tap into the state of unlimited possibilities

“The impossible becomes possible.” Impossible should not even be a word that crosses your mind. To stay positive, sports psychologist John A. Clendenin, president of the Athletic Motivation Institute, suggests focusing on what you do well. “Don’t lament over what you lack,” he says. “Instead, think about what talents you’re going to exploit and visualize yourself actually achieving your goal.” If you have limiting beliefs about what you can or cannot accomplish, work to overcome that obstacle. If we allow miracles to be available to us, there exist infinite possibilities everyday.

4. Sacrifice and Support

“Sweat plus sacrifice equals success.” The intense passion an Olympic athlete has for their sport surrounds everything they do, not just in the outcome of their performance. George Leonard, author of Mastery: The Keys to Success and Long-Term Fulfillment says you must seek to fall in love with the process of practice. Sacrifice is a regular part of life for athletes to attain their goal. They choose diligence and dedication over all else. We may not need to go to that extreme to reach our goals, but you should accept short-term sacrifice in exchange for long-term success.

“Can’t do it alone.” Success and teamwork go hand in hand. Find your “team” and support system to help you along the way.

Shine ON!

Keri

© 2012 Inspired Living, LLC

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Keri Murphy and the Inspired Living team is on a mission to empower people to use their unique talents in a way that allows them to Dream, Live and BE all that is possible through speaking, coaching, celebrity interviews and original on-line content. Get Inspired at inspiredliving.tv