It All Starts with a Dream

You have to dare to dream in order for them to come true. Do you think that Jess Ennis would have got to the Olympics if she had never let herself even think about it? Once you have your dream in place, visualize it coming true, play through the emotions of it happening in your mind. Dreaming and visualizing is the key to getting started. Anatole France once said, “To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act.”

It’s 5% Talent and 95% Hard Work

Sure, the Olympians all have amazing talent, but what makes them true athletes is not the talent that they were born with but how hard they have worked to make their dreams come true. Getting up every morning for training for years and years of their lives, being consistent with nutrition plans and sleep schedules, always pushing through pain barriers both emotionally and physically. Hard work and grit is absolutely vital to success.

You’ve got to be passionate 

Passion is what will make all the hard work not feel like hard work at all. Sure – you’ll have tough days, but if you are passionate about what you do, you’ll feel forever grateful and honoured that you get to do it.

You’re only as good as your team

Even solo Olympians like Mo Farah, Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps have an amazing team behind them that are just as passionate and hardworking as them. There is no way that they could do what they do without them. On winning a medal, you’ll hear that they all thank their fantastic teams. Your support network in life is essential to accomplishing the things you set out to do.

Health is your greatest wealth

If you don’t have your health, it is hard to do any of the things you want to do. Look after yourself and treat your body like a temple. Afterall, it is the only one you have. Be respectful of how hard you can push it and be grateful for the amazing things it can do for you.

Embrace the Sacrifice 

In order to achieve great things you are going to have to sacrifice a little – perhaps a lot. Speak to most Olympic athletes and they’ll tell you that partying in their teen years and early twenties just didn’t exist for them as being hung-over and feeling a bit ropey just isn’t conducive to long days of training. They may also have had to sacrifice school, relationships and weekends. Embracing the sacrifice and recognizing its all part of a bigger picture will help you not to feel like life is unfair. If you’re passionate about what you do you’ll often find that sacrificing, although may not be easy, it will be much easier.

Love the journey 

Don’t forget to enjoy the journey. The journey is what life is made up of.

Be the Best Version of You in Everything you do

If you always push yourself and know that you have done your absolute best, you can be satisfied in life that you did everything you could to achieve your dream.

Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall

Mo Farah’s first race exemplifies this perfectly. If you fall, and you will fall at some point, get back up and carry on to the best of your ability – if like Mo you still win, then fantastic, if you don’t you’ll have learned a valuable lesson that will come in handy later on in the journey for sure.

Family comes first

No matter what our dreams are, and what missions we are on make sure you make time for family. When you win, you’ll want them to be there to share the moment with and when you fall you’ll need their support and love. Family always comes first.

Words by Sadie Reid