With the Sports Personality of the year soon to be announced, I'm sure some of you are wondering what is it that amazing sportsmen and women have to make them perform at a consistently high level?
The answer is they're "Prepared to Win". No matter what the sport, they have all taken the time to assess their strengths and weaknesses to enable them to develop a winning formula.
Each time Alistair Brownlee, the world renowned triathlete competes, he has to deal with the pressure of performing; knowing each time he stands on the start line, the world expects him to win.
For Alistair he asks - “When I stand at the start line, I ask myself ‘Have I done everything within my control to prepare for the race? Have I trained hard enough? Have I gone over my race plan in infinite detail? Have I honestly given everything in the preparation?’ With the answer being yes to all these questions, my confidence and belief grows and I can breathe easily. This fuels the strength needed to be the best in the world.”
In recent months, Katrina Johnson-Thompson became the new World Heptathlon Champion in Doha. Overcoming previous injuries not only did she win gold, she also took the British record from Jessica Ennis-Hill, which had stood remarkably since 2012.
For Katrina she has endured many setbacks in her career. "Everyone's got their journey," she said after securing gold at Doha. "It's not been very straightforward for me. It's not been easy for me. I had to move coach. I had to move country, I had to learn a new language and settle in. I tore everything up and started again and it's worked.The low moments have helped me come back and made me look within myself and improve".
Then there's Lewis Hamilton the Formula 1 British Racing Driver, who at the young age of 34 became World Champion for the 6th time (only the second person in history to ever do so) - an amazing achievement in such a competitive sport full of talented drivers younger than Lewis
For Lewis his motto is- "Together we Rise" - believe in your dreams, it doesn't matter how many times you fail. It's not about winning, its about challenging yourself to be your best. Everything is possible if you believe in it. Life is too short to settle for average existence. Put in the work daily, work hard with the support and encouragement of your team, you can and will achieve your biggest, most audacious dreams."
Each amazing person was Prepared to Win. If you would like help to be successful in your chosen sport, business or life, please get in touch to enrole in my programme "Prepared to Win" . Alternatively why not create a special Christmas gift to someone you love.
If you would like to learn more about the mental side of the game visit our website and get in touch. Hope you enjoyed this week's blog, please drop me an email and let me know what you think, I would love to hear from you. Visit our website and check out our other blogs, there's something in there for everyone.