{"id":1046,"date":"2012-08-05T10:16:06","date_gmt":"2012-08-05T10:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.peterjohnsononline.com\/?p=1046"},"modified":"2012-08-08T13:21:49","modified_gmt":"2012-08-08T13:21:49","slug":"gold","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.peterjohnsononline.com\/index.php\/gold\/","title":{"rendered":"Are you going for gold…..?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>\u00a0The 2012 Olympic Games are in full swing and what an\u00a0awesome spectacle it is turning out to be. It is just amazing to see the\u00a0 competitors showcase their brilliance and put all of their effort into the\u00a0events that we see. The excitement of the events, the fantastic venues that\u00a0 have been created for sports people from all over the world to partake……and\u00a0 yesterday, 4 August 2012, turning out to be the best medal day for Britain since\u00a0 1908 with 6 gold medals. Just brilliant!<\/p>\n

Looking at the TV coverage it is so easy to forget all\u00a0of the training and sacrifices that are required to even get to the games. The extra\u00a0special ingredient to achieve at the top level is even harder. As one past\u00a0Olympian, Mary Peters, who won gold in the pentathlon at Munich back in 1972\u00a0said, it is easy to forget all of the training that goes on day in day out in\u00a0preparation, come rain or shine, in the years before. All of this preparation\u00a0focusing like a laser beam, illuminating the part that we witness only on the\u00a0day, only in the Olympic venue.<\/p>\n

As I went to bed, feeling very proud to be British, I read\u00a0a chapter in an old book that I managed to locate a few months ago. It was\u00a0talking about the times that people stumble and fail in their business and in other\u00a0parts of their life \u2013 it then went on to comment on the strength of human\u00a0character to get up after the fall and still press on. As Winston Churchill\u00a0 said \u201cYou only fail when you fail to get up.\u201d<\/p>\n

This so resonated with me as every single one of the\u00a0people who won Gold medals yesterday had a major setback in the past. Being\u00a0not fit enough and missing the Beijing Olympics 4 years ago and watching from their\u00a0sofa. Failing last year at another major sporting event. Illness that could\u00a0have dashed their hopes of ever competing again.<\/p>\n

ALL<\/span><\/strong> of these challenges had been put behind them in their dive, in their desire, in their determination\u00a0to compete and win. They kept their focus, put the effort in and even in the\u00a0lows managed to get up and press on. Yes, I am sure there were people around\u00a0them who had helped, who never lost their faith in them, who would get up and\u00a0do whatever it took to help. Who had pride in them too.<\/p>\n

On the radio this morning I was listening to Duncan\u00a0Goodhew, who won a swimming Gold at\u00a0Moscow in 1980 Olympics. He was saying\u00a0that he is still often asked how many medals he has won, he says \u2018lots\u2019 but not\u00a0 many are Gold. A comment he went on to say stopped me in my tracks:<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough all that losing you learn how to win.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Now that put a lump in my throat, as a former competitive\u00a0athlete myself, that resonated with me. As a person who strives for excellence\u00a0in business that still resonates with me.<\/p>\n

So while we bask in the success of current and past Olympians\u00a0perhaps there are some massive learning points for us all. A good place to\u00a0start is to ask a few questions of ourselves:<\/p>\n