What I find so fascinating about the Olympics is that the winners are so often NOT the best athletes. Yes, in every Olympics there are some stars that are expected to win, and do - Michael Phelps is one of those people this time - but I think the more interesting stories are the people who aren't favored to win. Or the people that are favored but don't place - how many times have you seen an athlete who "won the world's" the previous year (the announcers love mentioning this) that doesn't even finish in the top 5 at the Olympics?
It happens pretty regularly, especially for Canadian athletes, it seems. :-(
As I watch this unfolding at each Olympics, I always think about The Joy of Stress - an excellent book written by a guy that used to be my family doctor (until he quit for a lucrative speaking and writing career). In the book, Doc Hanson points out that not all stress is bad and some of it can, in fact, have a very positive effect on us. To underscore that argument, he points out that world records are set at the Olympics (probably the highest stress environment on the planet) and never set during practice (the lowest stress environment). When people are in the right frame of mind, a high stress environment stops being a problem and actually becomes an asset that can lead to record breaking performance.
If any of you are familiar with The Inner Game of Tennis (or the other, companion 'Inner Game' books), you know that the key to performing in these situations in staying focused on the right things. The inner game is what allows top performers to get 'in the moment' and really set things on fire. Not playing the inner game is what causes otherwise qualified performers to cack when the moment of truth arrives.
So, what's the secret to surviving high stress environments and delivering superhuman performance? Recognize that that stress can lead to exceptional performance, and make sure to stay focused and play the inner game every time.
Simple, eh? Maybe I should be an Olympic coach. :-)
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