courage in the heat of performance. Being inspired helps you to become more animated and motivated to carry out a desired task.
Champions often inspire themselves with a simple act of consciousness. They may think about a song, a poem, a passage from a book—like the Bible, Koran, or I Ching —a friend, a parent, a character in a movie, or even someone they do not know but have heard about, such as the Dalai Lama. You can do the same by taking words, thoughts, or ideas and pasting them on your locker door or carrying them in your training bag. If it’s a person, a picture will suffice. Among some athletes, the use of a well-placed tattoo seems to be a source of inspiration.
When you are out on the court or field, in the locker room or boardroom, getting ready to give a presentation to a large audience or simply on the sidelines, and you feel the need to get charged and emotionally engaged, recite the words, sing the lines, or picture the face and message of the person you admire, and devote your efforts to your inspiration of choice.
Personally, I am inspired by an eighty-four-year-old man who continues to improve his performance in the Iron Man Triathlon in Hawaii. I am inspired by Van Morrison and his soulful voice and lyrics. I am inspired by all the champion athletes who continue to teach me the lessons of diligence, dedication, and devotion to a cause. I am inspired by nature’s awesome gift of beauty as I mountain bike high in the Sierras on a balmy summer morning. Who or what inspires you, and how do you access this for future performance?
DEDICATION TO A LIFESTYLE
ALL DEDICATED ATHLETES and other people get inspired, but not all inspired athletes or others become dedicated. Being dedicated is “staying the course” amid the storms of uncertainty. It’s not about discipline or motivation. Some people are inspired for a few minutes or days, motivated for a few days or months, yet dedicated for a lifetime. Dedication is the devotion to a certain way, in this case the lifestyle of a champion, in order to make the most out of oneself, to discover just how darn good you can be. Dedication is a deeper, stronger, more passionate level of commitment. Being dedicated is that spiritual space that embraces failures, fatigue, setbacks, mistakes, frustrations, suffering, and sacrifices on the journey of being the best you can be. It requires fundamental faith, trust, and confidence in the process, as you display patience and perseverance while hoping that today you will be touched by the gods. This dedication does not have a schedule, as you never know when a breakthrough will occur; it could be the next game or the next year. Dedicated athletes and others do not measure progress by how far or how fast; instead, they are more concerned about the direction that their feet are pointed. Being dedicated (or devoted, for that matter) means a certain willingness to do all that is required to grow and improve—even if you sometimes don’t feel like doing it.
A modern-day retired champion athlete who demonstrates the virtue of dedication and devotion is Cal Ripken Jr., two-time American League MVP as an all-star shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles. He is the world record holder for consecutive games played, at 2, 632. He was dedicated to doing all he could to show up and help his team. Derek Jeter of the Yankees is similar in his devotion to the team. Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs basketball team is another model of dedication.
Champions, I have noticed, know that they are constantly being tested for their levels of commitment and dedication. They understand that the sky is the limit, and they demonstrate neverending devotion and commitment to what they deeply desire and want to achieve. Commitment is the major ingredient that separates those who break on through to the other side and experience personal greatness from those who don’t. True commitment is devotion to a cause, ideal, or goal that may be more crucial to you than whether you live or die. To test the level of your dedication and commitment, ask: “What three things am I willing to do in practice (at work, in the home) each day, to prove to myself that I am serious about my commitment to the team, to the office, to the family, and to my own personal improvement?” I ask teams to do this, record the results with each player’s name, and pass them around so everyone can see what teammates are doing. We draw up contracts, sign them, and use them for personal accountability and responsibility.
Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back... there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one commits, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that never would have occurred... incidents, meetings, and material assistance which no one could have dreamed would come [his/her] way.... Begin it now.
Amid all this talk about dedication, you do not want to overlook the “fun factor.” It’s easy to become way too serious. Stay in touch with the process of winning like a champion. Continue to build a bedrock of love for your sport, your profession, and self-discovery. Champions love what they do, and fun—perhaps defined as the execution of a well-thought-out plan, or simply doing the “little things”—is an essential component of it all.
BEING PERFECTLY IMPERFECT
IN THE WORDS of Carl Jung, “Perfection belongs to the gods; the most that we can hope for is excellence.” As we know it, perfection is unattainable. If I waited to write until I had the absolutely perfect words, you wouldn’t be reading this now.
Having said this, I notice that many of us still seek the impossible—the perfect performance—and become frustrated and feel like failures as we fall short every time. We attempt to force what can’t be.
What champions have taught me is that perfection is a standard to go towards rather than a way to measure your self-worth. The goal for you as a champion is to establish what perfection is in a certain situation, and then see how closely you can mimic that result, knowing that if you shoot for the sun and miss, you will still be one of the stars. Champions, I have learned, will refuse to self-destruct when perfection is not attained. They are aligned with the wisdom of the Tao, which asks us to let go of such futile striving. The Tao Te Ching, the ancient book of the Way, suggests that we strive for excellence, knowing that failure, setbacks, and errors are an inevitable part of the process of the champion’s way. In fact, needing to be perfect causes stress, anxiety, and tension, all of which contribute to being far less than perfect. In more serious cases, athletes who think they should be perfect, yet aren’t, resort to drugs, dropping out, and in some instances, suicide as a way out.
The lesson for all of us is simply BALANCE. The champion embraces the delicate balance between the healthy pursuit of excellence—striving for certain standards, with an interest in results—and the outcome. The process involves searching for internal rewards based on flexible, realistic goals. Emphasize how the game is played, not just end results. Although you may occasionally feel disappointed in the results, never internalize them as a commentary on who you are.
Studies with Olympic athletes have shown that those with balance, those who pursue excellence, have better chances of success than those who set unrealistic, perfectionist goals. I notice this to be true in all aspects of the corporate structure, family life, and any spiritual/emotional endeavor.
Without balance, you are denied the opportunity to risk, grow, change, and live a life of optimal potential. You will be controlled by fear if you attempt to control an uncontrollable world, the world of perfection.
Accept life as a roller coaster, filled with ups and downs, victories and defeats. You cannot be competent at all times. Set goals of perfection, but know they are only guides to help you realize your very best. Joe Montana, Lance Armstrong, Barry Bonds, Gandhi, and Jesus were never perfect. You are in good company. Be perfectly imperfect if you must.
LESSONS AS AFFIRMATIONS
