Seeing Gold

Unsurprisingly, I’m not a sports fan. Even the Olympics leave me cold. Until, of course, someone like Michael Phelps goes ahead and shatters a wall of achievement that’s been in place for 36 years by crashing the seven Olympic gold medal barrier. Not only did he manage something the original record-holder, Mark Spitz, called ‘epic’, but in his winning speeches Phelps didn’t just focus on the physical aspects of what it took to become history’s greatest Olympian – he strongly endorsed the power of the psychological aspects by noting “The biggest thing I’m thankful for is that I’ve been able to use my imagination”. It was Einstein who said “imagination is more important than knowledge”, so I’m rather bemused to have seen a similar thought crop up in a sportscast.

Even when interviewers have speculated on whether it was physically possible to win eight gold medals, Phelps responded, “In my dreams I always wanted it”. This is clearly a guy with a vision – the kind of vision that gets you up in the early hours of the morning to slog through hours of training in the pool, whatever the weather, year in, year out, and makes you believe you can achieve something no-one else has been able to do for over three decades. That’s some imagination.

What Michael Phelps is demonstrating for us all is that not only do we need a strong vision of what we want to achieve, but we also need to be able to use our imagination to visualise ourselves having it. He’s been living eight gold medals for years now. His sponsors, Speedo, added further motivation by promising him $1 million if he got seven medals in either Athens or Beijing. He may have missed the target by one medal in Greece, but he racked up an extra one for good measure in China. This is someone who never gives up, no matter what anyone else says and no matter if it appears – temporarily – that he’s losing. His vision and his imagination carry him through.

Another secret ingredient for Phelps’ outstanding success is his higher vision. His victory wasn’t just personal, it served a higher goal. On hitting the eight medal target, Phelps commented “The greatest thing is proving nothing is impossible. So many people said it couldn’t be done, but all it takes is imagination. From here it is a continuation of my goal of raising the sport as high as I can in the US.” It wasn’t just about the medals or the money. It was about breaking through limitations and giving something back.

We’ve been treated to an extraordinary display of both sportsmanship and leadership by Phelps and by Spitz too, whose graciousness was glorious to behold as he passed the seven-medal mantle to Phelps. “I’m so proud of what he’s been able to do,” said Spitz. “I did what I did and it was in my day in that set of circumstances. For 36 years it stood as a benchmark. I’m just pleased that somebody was inspired by what I had done. He’s entitled to every second of what’s occurring to him now.”

This week, take a look at your over-arching vision for your life. What is it that would make it all worthwhile? What’s your seven or eight gold medal goal? What would you be disappointed not to have achieved at the end of your life? What’s your ultimate ambition? Does it have a higher perspective? Who does it help beyond yourself? When you’re clear on that, really imagine yourself achieving it. What would it be like if you actually did it? How would it feel? What would it change? How would you feel about yourself? How would it affect others? Visualise it so strongly you could taste it. Now keep this flame alive by taking a few minutes to imagine it every single day. The best time is just before you fall asleep at night, taking that vision into dreams with you, and again in the morning, just as you wake. Let a higher vision infuse your life – you never know where it might take you. After all, nothing is impossible. Michael Phelps is a fabulous walking demonstration of that.

For the Coach Fabulous archives, go to www.coachfabulous.blogspot.com and for the I Am Fabulous archives, go to www.fabcentral.blogspot.com. You can email me at coachfabulous@iamfabulous.co.uk. All material ©2008 Alison Porter. No article may be reproduced in full or in part without the express permission of the author. (Originally posted 11 Aug 08)