Dec 23: How Michael Phelps Shattered the Olympic Gold Medal Record (Day 5 of 5)

2008.

The Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

23-year-old Michael Phelps from Baltimore, Maryland competed in eight races and won eight gold medals.

It was the most gold medals any single athlete had ever won in an Olympics (besting Mark Spitz’s 7-medal haul at the 1972 Summer Olympics).

Along with millions of other people, I watched as Phelps went from dominating performances to grit-driven miracles across his eight gold-medal-winning races.

Reasons cited for Phelps’ record-setting performance:

• His perfect swimming physique (extremely wide arm span, bizarrely flexible ankles ideal for the dolphin kick, immense lung capacity)
• His relentless training schedule (7 days a week, 365 days a year in the years leading up to Beijing aside from a short injury period when he slipped on ice and broke his wrist)
• His ferocious mental game (keeping his clear list of goals in his swim locker, using any perceived slight from a competitor to drive him harder, his pre-swim routine listening to rap and hip-hop through headphones)
• A healthy dose of good luck (certain competitors performing below their previous bests, teammates rising to the occasion in the relay races)

But there were two other reasons to which I paid particular attention:

1. Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman. Stories abounded about Bowman’s dedication to the coaching craft, his ingenious training methods, his willingness to do anything to help his athletes excel, and his unbelievably high standards.
2. Phelps’ teammates, with whom he trained daily in the lead-up to the Beijing Olympics.

I became fascinated by Bowman’s coaching. How exactly did he structure so many practices? Over 1,000 days of intensity designed to help Michael Phelps do something no other human being had ever done before.

The more I studied Phelps’ record-setting performance, the clearer it became that in addition to his swim-perfect physique, work ethic, mental toughness, and some luck, the real driver behind his success was his relationship with his coach and teammates.

And while the Olympics are certainly a worthwhile goal for someone to pursue, why is it that so few of us approach our lives with the same level of intention, focus, and intensity that an Olympic athlete brings to their pursuit of victory?

So, I started experimenting.

What happens if I finally heed the loud voice within me that is trying to get me on Purpose?

What new ideas emerge if I sharpen my vision for who I am, what I’m pursuing, and the world I want to help birth?

How can I approach my daily efforts with the same level of seriousness and ferocity that Olympians-in-training bring to their athletic preparations?

And, how can I find a Community of Excellence to support me through the ups and downs of all of that?

The fourth cornerstone of resilient success is just that:

A Community of Excellence.

Within TPA, we’ve created a truly remarkable community. Every day, I watch that community lift people up out of their limitations, their fears, their beliefs that success isn’t possible for them.

As I mentioned on Day 1 of this series, the killer in this domain is Going it Alone.

And I also mentioned that this is the killer that I had the hardest time overcoming.

I was a rugged individualist through and through.

I truly believed that I was supposed to either succeed or fail on my own merits without the help of others.

Then, I saw Michael Phelps sweep his events in Beijing.

And after every new triumph, where did Michael Phelps go?

To his teammates.
To his family.
To his coach.

In that order.

You don’t need a Community of Excellence if you aren’t trying to bring yourself to a higher level in your life.

You can absolutely go it alone if you want incremental gains and slow, steady progress.

But if you want to elevate everything you’re doing, a Community of Excellence is fundamental.

That’s what we’re offering inside Momentum Lab, and if you’re still reading these words at this point, I want to be as clear as possible here:

1. You have a unique, thumbprint-specific Purpose that you’re here to accomplish.
2. You’re on the hunt for ways to help you succeed bigger, better, and faster than you’ve done thus far.
3. You will experience far more momentum, bigger breakthroughs, and faster progress when you ally yourself with a community of support dedicated to lifting you up.

The people who have jumped into Momentum Lab so far are among the most amazing, brilliant, dedicated people I’ve met in my life.

It’s an extraordinary group, truly.

We’ve got 8 spots left as I write these words.

We’ve got some huge surprises in store for this first Momentum Lab cohort.

You’re going to receive our full focus in an intimate setting to help you line up your entire being in the direction of whatever it is that you care about and what to elevate in your life.

There will only ever be one initial cohort – and sometimes, an opportunity comes along that is once-in-a-lifetime.

I truly believe this is one of those times.

So, if you’re interested in joining our Community of Excellence, book a discovery call with Victor to ask your questions and learn more about how Momentum Lab can help you leap forward in every area of your life:

>> Book Your Discovery Call with Victor

–Matt Coffman

PS – We made it!

This is the end of line for this little training sequence on The Four Cornerstones of Resilient Success.

Thumbprint-Specific Purpose

Supernaturally Sharp Vision

Uncommon Consistency

A Community of Excellence

Put those four cornerstones into place in your life, and pay close attention to what happens.

Thank you for reading along up to this point. It’s always interesting to watch what happens when you throw yourself out there vulnerably, sincerely, in faith.

Some folks have resonated. Others haven’t.

But I can promise you, the interview with Ankur and these five emails you’ve been reading over the past five days contain priceless lessons that can change your life. As they’ve changed mine.

If you’re reading even this PS, the final PS in this sequence, then there are two obvious next steps.

First, book a call with Victor because Momentum Lab is obviously for you:

>> Book a Discovery Call with Victor

And finally, go back to the first email in this series and reread them as a unit.

Then, get busy implementing.

Pay close attention to what happens.

And let me know when you have a breakthrough thanks to these timeless principles – because I’m cheering you on and would love to hear what you create.