A few weeks ago, I decided to catch up on the world outside my little bubble of book launch frenzy and watched the Olympics. What fun! And inspiring!
I can’t begin to imagine the pressure these athletes are under or how it would be to live and perform under that level of scrutiny. Some were calm and cool—or at least appeared to be—in the face of pressures that would crack most of us like an egg. Even in the short time I watched, I saw many moving moments of sportsmanship and class, and those far outweighed the occasional disappointed athlete who wasn’t able to step up in the moment and be who they will probably later wish they could have been.
As a “take responsibility” advocate, I loved Bob Costas’ interview with Michael Phelps. Since “Take responsibility for your choices” is a major plank of my own platform, I loved hearing him say that “he got what he deserved.”
He said that for a while he didn’t want to practice—and didn’t—for about two years. And when he decided to start, it was a struggle and he needed help just getting to the gym. He got back on track and trained enough to win Olympic gold, but not across the board as when he’d been living and breathing it 24/7. He owned his choices and the outcomes those created— the winning and the not. No excuses, just the bottom line that he hadn’t put in the training to do it as he had before.
It’s a great message. If you want it, you have to do what it takes to get it—you have to go all in. And if you don’t, you own it.
When we accept responsibility for choices that create outcomes we don’t want, we give ourselves the information we need to make different ones. When we acknowledge and honor the choices—and our abilities and efforts—that create the successes we want, we give ourselves great reasons to repeat those.
So, really, whether you’re dealing with a desired outcome or one you’re not so thrilled with, owning your part in the deal automatically leads you to create more of what you do want in your life.
So, step up and take responsibility for your choices. Embrace your purpose and passion and start living your highest potential—now! Go for your personal gold every single day!
*****
Paula Renaye’s new hands-on manual for transformation, Living the Life You Love: The No-Nonsense Guide to Total Transformation will be in neighborhood and online bookstores in September. Learn more about Paula and her work and read her blog at www.toughlovetalk.com.
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