When we stop and think about it, there is not much difference between the rules that governs our career and the ones that are to be found in the sport world. Basically, the top performers in both fields are the ones who are best rewarded and they also are the ones who are the most dedicated.
We can learn a lot from the sport world, however for that to be done, we need to look at it with a dispassionate eye and cold logic. The glamour and the fantasies associated with the top athletes have to be put aside and replaced with cold hard facts.
As spectators, we tend to see what we want to see rather than focus on the reality of what it is to be a top performer. We tend to focus on the glory but not on the efforts and sacrifices required, we see the glitz but not the sweat.
We tend to believe that being an athlete is about playing all day long whereas being a career person is only about working all the time. That's one the first misconception. An athlete can see his sport as work and a career person can see his work as play
Whether we are working or playing depends strictly on the attitude and not with the process at hand. As a matter of fact, most of the elite in any area of endeavor see what they do as a game. That is the reason that they are so enthusiastic, focused and full of energy.
To succeed at anything, it has to be fun; it has to be exciting it has to hold the prospect of exhilarating rewards. With some imagination and mental discipline that state of mind can be achieved as well in a career as is can in any arena of the sport world.
The next lesson that we can learn from the sport world is about dedication and focus. A professional, whether it is in the business or sport world, has to be focused on one thing and that is winning. Anyone who is ambivalent about winning has no place in the top echelons.
That's a lesson that anyone who dreams of a six plus figure salary has to learn. The performance and the result have to commensurate with the reward. Either we produce and prevail or we fail and leave. That's how it is in the world of sport and that's what it is in real life.
In both worlds, it's survival of the fittest. It may sound cruel but that's how it is. The spoil goes the person who is hungrier and wants it the most. So long as ethic is respected and the laws are observed, anything goes.
Another great lesson that we can learn from the athletes is that they all have coaches and trainers; they rely on the expertise and guidance of others to insure that they always play at peak performance. In today's competitive world, there is little place for errors and no place for bad performances.
No one is above guidance and counseling. Tony Robbins is said to have three personal coaches and he is himself a personal coach for the elite few who can afford the one million dollars a year tab. Good coaches cost money but they are worth every penny spent.
The world of sport and the business/career worlds are very much alike. Something that every budding young lion should be aware off. To succeed and win, excellence is needed and excellence is acquired the same way no matter what place a person occupies.
That is something that you should keep in mind the next time you watch your favorite athlete in action; the man (or woman) is showing you what you need to know and do to reach the top.
Dr. Raymond Comeau
