#28

Welcome to Week #28

What whisper did you hear from #27?

Did you find time to laugh and giggle?

What weather did you endure?

Were you grateful for your past and how it’s serving you now?

What choices did you make in the moment?

It’s been Olympic fortnight in Tokyo. I love the Olympics. Not just the sporting achievements but the unique stories of personal success and the hurdles some of the athletes overcame just to be there. Here are some of my favourites.

1. I’m more than my accomplishments – Simone Biles.

One of the big stories was the choice Simone Biles made about her mental and physical readiness to compete on the Olympic stage. The outpouring of opinion was huge and as expected there was comment at every extreme. Now, whilst I value the right for anyone to have an opinion I found myself a little unsure – mainly because I’ve never been close to being perceived as the GOAT in my chosen domain. What I did relate to was her comment above – I’m more than my accomplishments. I wonder how often we see ourselves from within the boundaries of our achievements – I’m successful because… I also wonder how much that might limit us in other domains of life. A close buddy of mine was the sports psychologist for the Aussie swim team for 4 Olympics – here’s what he had to say:

Self Doubt and the Challenge of Modern Leadership - Clark Perry, Alix Partners

So, I’m curious about you – are you ONLY your accomplishments or are you more than that?

2. Ice in your head fire in your belly - Lauren Price

Lauren Price was eight when she wrote down her dreams in primary school.

The Welsh boxer was asked what she wanted to be when she grew up, "I want to be a world champion kickboxer, I want to play football for Wales, and I want to go to the Olympics".

No-one thought she was serious and dismissed it as a childhood fantasy. Everyone apart from her Nan who said, “If they're her dreams, no one is going to steal those dreams away. I tell you one thing now; I will be encouraging her".

And so, Lauren ticked the first item off her bucket list by 12, winning two gold medals at the WPKA Kickboxing World Championships and successfully defended both the following year.

She went on to earn 52 caps for Wales, captaining the U19s and playing for the senior team before committing to boxing in 2014, the same year she won bronze at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

At the time of writing, Lauren was in the Olympic Semi Final. ✅ ✅ ✅

Of course, for every primary school kid that dreams of being an Olympian – or any dream for that matter – there are many that don’t make it. However, on most occasions that I can think of, for those that have succeeded in their chosen domain they often refer to having dreamt or wished or visualised themselves succeeding.

We rarely hear of someone ‘winning’ and not having some sort of dream, image, picture of what that would look and feel like.

*UPDATE - Lauren Price won Gold on Sunday 8th August :)

So, what can you imagine yourself doing? Will you dare to dream?

 
3. “The Olympics is about more than gold medals. It's about human spirit, the heart, and the drive that a lot of athletes have and human beings have in general." Kerri Strug

Kerri Strug competed in the gymnastics vault in 96 with a damaged ankle. Some of you will think ‘how brave, how strong’ whilst others will think ‘how stupid, health should come first’.

What I find interesting is that today, in 2021, the voices on either side aren’t as silent anymore.

As an aside, a recent poll voted the Derek Redmond Olympic moment as the most emotional story – watch below if you haven’t seen it:

4. Freedom Fridays - Moving from I have to, to I choose to

My intention is to openly share a change I’m making within my life. I’m hoping you can take the lessons learnt and apply them to any change you want to make.

This week was a double episode and predominantly about being forced into choosing rather than being able to choose.

Check out Episode #26 Part 2 with special guest Anna Raine.

SPOTIFY

APPLE PODCAST

That’s all for this week and I hope you enjoyed Weekly Whisper #28.

Feedback is my fuel so if you have any comments please send me an email at [email protected]  and let me know your thoughts.

Cheers

Pete