My Online Business Adventure

I have a confession to make.  Last week I got distracted from work, and I ended up spending more time leaping up and down on the sofa than in sitting in front of my computer screen.  Still, it’s something that only happens every four years, so I do think I can be let off the hook for this one!  I also learned a lot about the way sport helps to inspire and create positive feeling, and this led me to think how you can use the tactics of an Olympic winner in your home business.

Here in Great Britain we have been truly inspired by “Team GB” and our most successful Olympics for one hundred years.  It has generated a new national pride and a surge of interest in our forthcoming hosting of the event in four years’ time.

One comment that really stood out for me (it was either Lord Coe or Jonathan Edwards - I really can’t remember) was something like this:  When young people train for a sport, they learn discpline and self-belief, and even if they do not succeed in that sport, it will help them to get ahead in any other area of life.

The kind of training you get in a sport is like a kind of physical life coaching.  I must admit, this thought has only really just occurred to me.  Although I’ve always loved big sporting events like the Olympics and Wimbledon, I’ve never really rated the importance of sport in terms of individual or national self belief.  This year’s Olympics has brought this home to me.

So, how can you use the spirit of the Olympics to help you in your home business or other areas where you want to succeed?  Here are just a few of my own ideas about Olympian ideals that can move you towards Gold!

• Do the work.  In a press conference, Michael Phelps talked about what his coach would say to him on days when he didn’t feel like training: Every day that you work is “money in the bank”.  You keep putting money in the bank every day, and you can draw it out when you need it.  Well, he certainly was able to draw out 8 Olympic Gold medals after all his hard work.  The message for us is: Do whatever you need to do to make your business a success, and do it every day, and in time you will be able to reap the rewards.
• Stay focused.  Watch any athlete, gymnast, diver or other individual sportsman as they prepare, and you will see how focused they are on what they are about to do.  They have an ability to shut out the roar of the crowd, to dispel negative thoughts and ignore what may be going on around them and to concentrate on their action.  The message for us is:  Concentrate on the things that will work for you and don’t allow your personal life, constant messages and the “noise” of a crowded email inbox to tempt you from the path you are following.
• Believe In Yourself.  No successful sportsperson ever begins a game or race with the expectation of losing.  No matter what the odds are, you have to believe that you can win gold.  Self belief is part of their training.  The message for us:  Get trained in self belief because without it you don’t stand a chance.
• Visualise.  So many times I have heard gold medallists, when interviewed, say that they have visualised over and over again winning gold, or being up on that podium.  The message for us:  Visualisation helps to keep us focused and opens doors to opportunities.  It gets us out of bed every morning because we are inspired to take action to make that visualisation come true.  Think big, dream big and make it happen.
• Be prepared to go beyond what is comfortable.  Watch sprinters, distance runners, rowers or other strongly physical sports competitors as they strive to get to that finishing line and you will see them putting themselves beyond their pain barriers, beyond what seems possible and to break world records over and over again in their efforts to be the best.  The message for us:  Take yourself out of your comfort zone as much as possible.  Success does not come through staying within the familiar or playing safe.  Strive to go beyond what you think you are capable of.

Go for gold in your home business by taking inspiration from Olympic winners.

Ros Bott

Achieve Financial Freedom Online

Career and Life Success Coaching

PS.  Learn more about self belief and motivation by signing up with Success University.