The Perpetual Motivation Machine
The Perpetual Motivation Machine
One of the traits that makes great athletes great is their ability to stay motivated. If you have read interviews with Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte or Natalie Coughlin you will immediately notice they are motivated by both their success and their failure. I think there are four things that BSC Teammates can learn from these Olympians to help stay Motivated and Enthusiastic for the Spring/Summer session and beyond.
Be Motivated by Your Success—Success feeds Success. When someone does something great whether it is a little thing, like learning a legal breaststroke kick, or a big thing, like swimming an Olympic Trials cut, that success to motivates good swimmers to do even more. This gives teammates the confidence they need to keep pushing themselves. Teammates should use this type of motivation to not only enjoy where they have been, but be inspired to reach even higher goals in the future.
“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
- Muhammad Ali
Be Motivated by Your Failure—Failure is a wonderful teacher. Talk to any successful person and they will tell you that they have learned more from their mistakes than they did from their success. Think about some of the greatest success stories in sports: Babe Ruth hit 700 Home Runs, but struck out 1,330 times, Bulls great Michael Jordan was cut from his varsity high school basketball team, Bears Hall of Famer Walter Payton didn't even play football until he was a junior in high school, 5Time Olympic Medalist Josh Davis was cut from his middle school swim team because he wasn't fast enough. These are just a few examples of individuals who used their failure as a motivator to drive them to greatness. BSC Teammates should see disappointment, discouragement and failure as an opportunity to work harder to achieve their goals.
Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.
~ Dale Carnegie
Be Motivated by Your Teammates—When a teammate swims well in a practice or a meet that helps everyone feel confident to try harder for their own success. Teammates who are motivated always set a good example in: attendance, attitude, effort, and performance. Setting a good example helps everyone on the team feel good about working hard and striving to achieve their goals. When a teammate encourages someone during practice or a meet it shows that they care about their own success, but more importantly their teammates success as well. That type of unity and selflessness is a rare find and is a very powerful motivator for everyone in the BSC Family!
"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Be Motivated for Your Teammates---When you show up, work hard and let your enthusiasm show every practice it will rub off on others! If you teach someone how to be successful they will become successful and they will teach others to become successful. As a coach it is amazing to hear teammates encouraging each other during a tough set. “come on we only have three more” or “great job Billy hang in there” or “Last one everybody it's BOBSLED TIME”. When motivated teammates actively engage in motivating each other---THAT IS A SPECIAL TEAM!!
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader."
~ John Quincy Adams
All these factors: motivation by success, motivation by failure, being motivated by those around you and motivating those around you all come together to help every BSC Teammate be more self motivated. This makes goal setting and working toward those goals.
PRACTICE LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY!!
RACE LIKE A CHAMPION TODAY AT SECTIONALS, JUNIOR OLYMPICS and NATIONALS!!
