There’s gold on this little isle, there is. And plenty of it too!

Secured by a select few, these winners of Olympic and Para Olympic gold set their sights high, committed to many hours of hard work, and reached the pinnacle of their career to date. What an incredible accolade of success for each one of the recent GB gold medal winners!

Are you inspired by the gold rush to go for gold in your life? 

Winning gold is not something every athlete will achieve in the lifetime of their career. However those who do, share common attributes such as: hard work, commitment, determination, and hours of practice, resilience, belief and talent. 

Naturally, talent is a key, as a foundation point; however without a positive combination of the remaining attributes, success will not happen. As Mo Farah recently said, “There are no short-cuts, just hard work and grafting.”

Let’s say you are at the crossroads of a career transition. You’ve decided you want to commence on a new path. Before you take a first step have you considered?

• What will you need to do to ensure that you succeed?
• Why have you taken this decision?
• What you plan to achieve? i.e. what is your vision?
• How do you think you will reach your goal?

Likewise for an athlete such as Mo Farah to achieve success and to go on and win gold, he too would have asked himself similar questions. Why? Because there is a process to winning gold. There is a process to follow to help unlock true potential and to realise the opportunity to achieve the ultimate success – gold.

How do athletes win gold?

We’ve talked about the necessary attributes an athlete needs to possess. Directly linked to this is a training process of planning and practice, which leads to peak performance. Without these 3 P’s an athlete will struggle to reach the pinnacle of their career.

As well, without the help of others, to encourage, guide, coach and inspire, progress will be hindered. As Jessica Ennis stated, “I am so thankful that everyone has helped me all this way. I just had to give it everything at the end. I just wanted to make sure I gave them something and brought it all home. I told myself at the start that I’m only going to have one moment to do this in front of a crowd in London and I just wanted to give them a good show.”

Step out of your comfort zone, step into your stretch zone.

As part of the training process, an athlete needs to warm up. Prior to warm up an athlete’s body and mind is in a zone of comfort. Next, steps are put in place to move from the comfort zone to the stretch zone. The athlete’s body, focus and stamina, as a result of planning and practice, are ready to perform.

Like an athlete, to pursue your goal of gold, it is vital to push yourself beyond what you know and what is safe, otherwise inertia sets in, no progress is made and your dream of an alternative career path fades into the distance. Remember though, it is a process. How else will you completely unlock your true potential and reach your goal?

Believe you can!

Every successful athlete must believe in their own ability and they must believe they can win the ultimate prize. Do you believe you will make it through your transition?

Do you believe you will make the change in your working life that you so desire? You must believe you can do it. Nicola Adams on her gold medal win said, “This is just like a dream come true, I have just wanted this all my life and I’ve worked so hard.” Her belief in herself together with the image of winning gold firmly in her sights, paved the way for her success. 

Make your career change or transition happen. Follow the process to unlock your true potential. Focus on your vision with an open and positive mind. Surround yourself with those who encourage, inspire and push you out of your comfort zone. Always believe in you and your ability to go for gold!