Meet The Unexpected With Your Training
Whether it’s Dwayne Wade practicing his free-throws the night before a big game. Or, an astronaut meticulously prepared for the mission. There is a reason why the training happens. The work is not the big game, the mission, or in the case of Michael Phelps, not the competitive swim. The work is practice.
Now, channel your inner Allen Iverson for a moment…
Yes, we are talking about practice.
Beijing Olympics, 2008. Michael Phelps is in a 200 meter competition. The race just started and twenty-five meters in, Michael Phelps’s goggle fill up with water, he can’t see.
“I was blind for 175 meters…I reverted back to what I did in training…breaking my goggles on purpose so that I had to figure out a way to stay calm and stay relaxed.”
Swimming blind in practice is one thing. To have to do it in the Olympics is another. However, Phelps trained for this. He knew exactly how many strokes it would take to finish the race. He was not nervous, scared, and did not have an ounce of fear. He met the unexpected with his training. Once Phelps finished the race he took off his goggles and looked up at the scoreboard to see how he did. Next to his name he saw “WR.” World Record.
“I swam blind for 175 meters…won gold and broke the world record…
This is the power of training. Not just your body, also your mind. You too can train yourself. Be it with your work or how you handle conflict at home. Practicing being a parent that listens and does not judge. Practicing what is needed to be a good spouse or partner. Practicing self control when its most needed. So rage does not take over when you’re driving. So that anger does not creep in when you’re on the phone with customer service.
Revert back to your training, at once.
Thought Provoking Questions : How can you go back to your training when met with the unexpected? HINT: you first need to practice…then you have something to revert back to.
Dan Roman is a writer that releases a daily meditation. A quick read. Sharing wisdom and asking thought-provoking questions. Influenced by the obstacles, success and failures in life and of others. Using history, books, current events, philosophy, and ancient wisdom. These writings are actionable, thought-provoking, designed to make your life better.
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