Coach's Corner
Tips from Leo Totten

Working through the Bad Times
04.1999

The theme of this month's message comes from a new book I just purchased called, Awaken the Olympian Within. It deals directly with the "down" moments that I mentioned in the opening message. Essentially, this book is a compilation of stories and philosophies of Olympians from a wide range of sports. It is an excellent book and I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to know what makes the elite athletes tick.

One of my favorite chapters is by Nancy Hogshead, a swimmer who won 3 gold medals and 1 silver at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. One of the points she gets across is to Expect Obstacles. She points out that although Olympians seem to have everything going for them, that is really never the case. They ALL have had obstacles to overcome to get where they are. She states, "The world doesn't give people exactly what they need to achieve their dream on a silver platter. Going up, down and around obstacles is normal, something to be expected when pursuing a big goal. The Road Less Traveled by Scott Peck has been on the New York Times bestseller list for more than two decades. It begins with the sentence, "Life is difficult". What I find perplexing is not that Olympians have to deal with these hurdles, but that people are perpetually surprised that Olympians have to overcome anything at all."

She goes on to say, "The fact that life isn't going to hand us our big reward is precisely why achieving it requires us to grow in unimaginable ways, to move far outside our comfort zone, to stretch our ideas of what we think of as possible. Expect the obstacles and embrace the struggle of growing."

What Nancy states so eloquently is so true. I like to say, "If it were that easy, everybody would be World Champion!" Yes, everyone struggles as they face obstacles. The ones who come out on top are those who realize that there will be obstacles and that it is natural part of the process. Also, they must do what it takes to work through them. Sometimes this means making difficult changes but the fruits of your efforts will be greatly rewarded!