The 5 Crucial Traits of Olympic Athletes You Can Master to Excel in Any Field
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Sitting on a bench in Gold’s gym locker room, I tried hard not to faint. The room spun as I focused on my breath. Slowly, I returned to normal and told my weightlifting world champion friend, who had offered to help with my workouts and was asking when would I like to go to the gym with him again, “No, thank you!”
He laughed, suprised, saying he was going easy on me.
Sure, rub it in, buddy. But still, no thanks.
I had the privilege of working with and mentoring several olympic level athletes over the years and noticed clear patterns in the traits that separate the talented ones from the extraordinary.
I’ve seen the same traits working with entrepreneurs, artists, fashion designers, and dancers.
After watching a few hours of the Summer Olympics in Paris, I’ll just stick with traits shared the the athletes. Try to track the correlation between them and other high performers.
Here they are, and yes - anyone can develop them and stand out in any field:
1. Mental Resilience: Whether in the gym or on the marketplace, top performers learn to turn nervous energy into calm focus. I've seen this trait in every Olympic athlete I've worked with. They are not just recognized for their potential but for their ability to deliver when it matters most. Key shifts are determined by a few minutes where our abilities shine, creating a quantum shift in life.
A giant slalom skier told me she’s always terrified on top of the mountain, terrified of falling racing down the hill at the speed of 50-60 mph (80-100 km/h) on a pair of sticks. Terrified of making the wrong move and losing speed, terrified of missing a mark in the otherwise rehearsed course. Most athletes lose in their minds before the start because they’re unable to turn off the anxiety.
2. Discipline: Building up to the defining moments of life involves the mundane, daily grind of incremental improvements that are utterly unglamorous. Learning to make 1% daily improvements is guaranteed to bring outsized success, as most people are dabblers. Elite athletes adhere to strict training schedules, follow healthy diets, and maintain disciplined lifestyles to ensure peak physical and mental condition.
I observed the practice of a friend who competed in the Olympics in short track speed skating. The grace and precision of every turn was the result of countless choices of delayed gratification. And those insane leg muscles were proof of years of perfecting the technique of speed skating.
3. Passion and Drive: Before you devote a good portion of your life to mastering something worthy, you need to find the fuel to keep going when success is nowhere on the horizon. Just like great professionals, athletes may have stumbled upon their discipline by chance or coincidence, but what drives them is beyond having a predesposition to the sport. This intrinsic motivation drives them to push beyond their limits and stay committed, even when the going gets tough.
Another friend described the twice-a-day wrestling practices since he was a boy as a mission that helped him find meaning, a community and to endure the many disappointments and injuries.
4. Coachability: Athletes are the most aware of any other profession that a coach is your ticket to success. They are humble, attentive, and truly obedient, which is a rare quality in any other high performer I’ve worked with. They actively seek advice from their coaches and peers and are willing to make necessary adjustments to improve their performance.
I’ve been stunned by how a mountain of a man who could kill me with his bare hands could listen to every word I say and do everything I’ve asked of him with no pushback or grumbling.
5. Attention to Detail: They know that one signature move or technique could be the difference between a gold medal and no medal. Their attention to every detail of their field is nothing short of inspiring. Elite athletes are meticulous in their approach to every aspect of their performance, from nutrition and sleep to technique and strategy.
A friend of mine competed in Nordic Combined, which includes both cross-country skiing for 10 kilometers and ski jumping. Besides the fact that both involve skis, they are very different and highly technical. I would position myself at the place on the mountain where the skiers would take flight after a steep drop. Seeing them use their skis as wings to fly as far as 450 feet or 140 meters always took my breath away.
Watching the Olympics, it's easy to think these athletes belong to a superhuman race. But having worked with some of them, I know their greatness comes from developing a robust inner game. They know, fear and anxiety. They take on huge risks and endure unexpected setbacks. Talent is not enough in the Olympics and in life. People win or lose in their minds before they enter the arena, before the gun starts the race and just by looking at an opponent who has that winner look on her face.
There are countless talented people out there who do not see extraordinary results because they rely on their talent more than the inner game that makes talent really shine.
May my observations of the top 1% of athletes help you to transition from an inspired spectator of the top athletic event in the world to an top athlete in your chosen arena, living a life of extraordinary impact and meaning.
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