{"id":10702,"date":"2012-08-07T12:15:12","date_gmt":"2012-08-07T18:15:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.withamymac.com\/news\/?p=10702"},"modified":"2012-09-26T13:35:09","modified_gmt":"2012-09-26T19:35:09","slug":"elements-of-success","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.withamymac.com\/news\/2012\/08\/07\/elements-of-success\/","title":{"rendered":"The Elements of Success"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Making Olympic History. This was the goal and the achievement of Michael Phelps in the London 2012 Olympic Games.<\/p>\n

Most of us can\u2019t imagine winning an Olympic medal, let alone a Gold medal. But to kick ass in 3 Olympics and bring home 22 medals, that is just unfathomable to me (and I\u2019m guessing most people). It seems like such an anomaly to watch so many amazing athletes push themselves and each other to such superhuman levels but yet, there are so many of them! Makes me feel a little lazy, I have to say!<\/p>\n

There seems to be a formula for these athletes though and I feel that I\u2019ve seen this formula work in real life too. Talent, Training and Dedication are what comprises each of these people.<\/p>\n

Talent:<\/strong>
\nThere is an element of talent that has to be present in order for the training to take hold of and enhance. I believe that you can train anyone to do anything, but without talent, they won\u2019t be the best in the world.<\/p>\n

Training:<\/strong>
\nPractice makes perfect does seem to fit this scenario. The practice and training schedules of these individuals and well, most successful individuals, is strenuous, regimented and challenging. It is designed to be pushing them to the next level, always.<\/p>\n

Dedication:<\/strong>
\nI\u2019m sure we\u2019ve noticed the dedication by the athletes and their families but this is the final element of achieving the dream. They have to dedicate and sacrifice things for the end goal. It isn\u2019t just showing up for practice, it is giving that practice everything they\u2019ve got. It is about being present in the process and not just going through the motions. Dedication might be the biggest and hardest part of this process because sometimes, it is just plain tough to be motivated. This even happens to everyone but being able to find that motivation comes from the dedication and determination of that end goal.<\/p>\n

So now that I\u2019ve listed out the elements of success, there is no reason that any of us will ever falter again, right?! There are all kinds of cliches and sayings in this world about thinkers and doers and success and hard work and luck but at the end of the day it really is about having a dream, having a plan to achieve that dream and then the dedication to make it happen. Michael Phelps and so many of the Olympic athletes have followed these steps and have shown us that anything is possible.<\/p>\n

Congrats to Michael and all of the Olympic athletes. Now go out and get yourself a Gold Medal!<\/p>\n