We’ve all been inspired this week by watching athletes at the 2012 London Olympics set major world and Olympic records. We’ve seen them on the medal stand smiling and waving their flags. However, what we haven’t seen is the years of dedication, practice and hard work that got them there.  They eat, sleep and drink their sport. They miss out on fun times with their peers because they have to go to practice, or train or simple rest for a competition the next day. They dedicate everything to one moment in Olympic history.

So how would a business owner benefit from training like an Olympian? What does that even mean? What would they need to do differently on a daily basis to achieve their own personal “medal of achievement?”

Hire a Coach or Two

I just paid Chris Brogan $497 to take a class (affiliate link) on learning how to be a better blogger. He is now my blogging coach. Why didn’t I use that money to buy a new guitar instead? I wanted to invest in myself and learn from one of the best bloggers around. I’ve already seen amazing results and have  acquired more discipline in my blogging habits. A few months ago, I took another $500 class on writing an ebook by Debbie Weil. I will continue to invest in my future because I believe you can never be inspired or learn enough from people who have laid the groundwork in your field. Hire a coach to go further, faster.

Set Personal Goals

Setting goals and then exceeding them is a great motivational business practice. Once you meet those goals, you feel every bit like those athletes on the medal stand smiling and waving your flag of accomplishment. Your goals don’t have to be public. I like to write a daily goal for myself as well as monthly and yearly goals (usually in January). I also have a vision board I create each year to help keep my goals in front of me. Once I hit my goals, I treat myself to something nice for my office or something personal I’ve wanted for awhile depending on how big the goal was. Set personal goals to keep you on target and on track.

Rest

Too many of us forget to take time off each week to play. In order to be a balanced athlete, you need to rest. Business owners should schedule some type of physical activity that gets you moving on a daily basis. I love tennis because you lose all sense of time and space. It’s just you and that yellow, fuzzy ball. You also need to chill out with friends and family. Some of my greatest ideas have come from hanging out with my kids. Vacations are also important and I find my time near the ocean or in the mountains necessary to restart my brain and come back to work in a much better state of mind. Playtime is essential to growing your business because it allows you to think outside of the daily grind. You never know what kind of ideas may strike in the middle of a tennis game or a run or on the beach. Rest often.

Kick Junk (Thinking) to the Curb

I’m not talking about food. I’m talking about emotional junk such as fear, laziness, doubt and procrastination. I’ve heard business owners talk about their fear of technology and how their competition is passing them by when all along they’ve had access to the same resources to learn how to use these tools.  They were just too lazy to learn. I’ve met CEOs who are hesitant to change their websites because they think people “like their site and there’s nothing wrong” when their employees have been begging for a new site for years. They’re simply afraid to make a change. Procrastination is junk and can hinder your business growth faster than Olympian Usian Bolt on the track. The worst emotional junk is doubt. If you start doubting yourself and your company, people around you will sense it and will be hesitant to do business with you. The best way to keep a clear head is to keep a daily journal of your activities. Check in with yourself on a constant basis to see where you can kick the “junk thinking habit” and replace it with a positive attitude.

Thinking like an Olympian in business can help you realize your business goals by keeping you on top of your game (pun intended). The biggest reward for a business owner isn’t a medal. It’s the customer who tells other people how they enjoy working with you and how you helped their business grow. The cool thing is you can win more “medals” than Michael Phelps because you aren’t limited to one or two Olympic events in your businesses lifetime. You can be a winner on an ongoing basis as long as you’re willing to train hard, practice daily, keep a clear head and grow your Olympian work ethic. The real benefit is feeling great about yourself at the end of the day because you knew you gave 100%.