This week is all about the Tokyo Olympic Games. Some athletes will have a great success story to tell, while others will be disappointed by their performances. Unfortunately, the ups and downs are part of what we do.
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Winning and succeeding often go hand-in-hand. However, many athletes make the mistake of believing that they need to win in order to succeed. Winning feels good, but it isn’t always everything. If you executed your strategy to perfection but didn’t win, does that mean you didn’t succeed either?

Success is something we all strive for as athletes. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. We put in the work every day with only the hope of one day reaching the goals we set out for ourselves. Ask yourself this question: When you don’t win, are you still satisfied with your performance? 

Let’s take the Olympic swimmers, for example. Do you think the person who swam in the slow heat and didn’t make it to finals is disappointed by his performance? Maybe, maybe not. The same can be said for athletes who come in second at the Olympics. Some of them will be filled with joy, while others will be disappointed that they didn’t win.
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Success has a different meaning to each individual. We are unique, and so are the goals we set for ourselves. When you try your best and don’t succeed, what do you do? You keep going. You work hard in silence and let the results do the talking. The key to success is never to give up.

​We can go into great detail by looking at the habits of successful people. However, as I have mentioned before, we are all unique, and so are our road to success. If, at first, you don’t succeed, you get back up and try again until you do.

One thing all successful athletes have in common is their will to succeed. If your will to succeed is stronger than your will to quit, then you will be successful. However, it is vital to stay on your own road to success. Below are several ideas you can use to stay true to yourself in reaching your goals:

Again, everything that worked for someone like Michael Phelps might not necessarily work for you as well. We all have our own ways of doing things. You have to find something that works for you and stay committed to it. 

It feels great to win. As athletes, we are all naturally competitive. With competitiveness comes the will to win. Don’t get me wrong. It is an excellent quality to have. However, when you allow winning to define who you are as an athlete, you might need to rethink your strategies. 

Just like winning, losing doesn’t define you. Losing is just as crucial on our road to success as winning. Losing is an opportunity to get better. It allows us to focus on what we might have done wrong during competition and fix those problems.
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Often times we confuse winning with success when they really operate in entirely different realms. Yes, sometimes winning is part of success, but it never defines it. When you understand this concept as an athlete, then you are already on the right track. 

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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Every four years, we get to watch thousands of athletes battle it out at the Olympic Games. When you hear the word Olympic champion, you immediately think of names like Michael Phelps, Simone Biles, and Usain Bolt, to only name a few. However, only a select few have the honor of being crowned Olympic champions.
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The Olympic Games is where all the top athletes compete against each other, but not all of them have what it takes to become Olympic Champions. The athletes that stand out above the rest have mastered something extraordinary that very few athletes have. Fortunately for you, it is something we all can learn.

The best athletes in the world have all mastered something referred to as the growth mindset. What is a growth mindset? Athletes with a growth mindset chase greatness. In one of my earlier blogs, Never Let It Rest, I talked about how we should never stop when we're ahead.  

When you have a growth mindset, winning isn't enough anymore. You are always hungry for more and willing to do whatever it takes to make your way to the top. Why does having a growth mindset give you such a significant advantage?

As the word implies, a growth mindset allows us to grow. A significant part of being an athlete is always looking for ways to gain an advantage over the rest of the field. When you stay hungry, you are willing to take more risks and try new things to ​get that extra edge over your opponent.​

One of the hardest things to do is beating someone who refuses to go down. How fast do you get back up after being knocked down? ​

Let's face it, we are all human. Even the top athletes in the world have made countless mistakes throughout their careers. That is why they are where they are today. Instead of criticizing yourself for all your mistakes, see it as an opportunity to get better.

In my article, Practice Makes Better, I talked about how no one will ever be perfect. Perfection is something you can chase but most likely will never catch. All your flaws and failures are opportunities to improve yourself and become a better athlete. As a result, letting go of your failures becomes much more manageable, and you learn to move on quicker. ​

Success will never happen overnight. It takes many hours of sweat, tears, and dedication. Any elite athlete can tell you how important the process is to them. They trust the process with everything they have.

How do you trust the process? By focusing on what you can control. Outside factors have a minimal effect on elite athletes because they know it is out of their control. If you remain disciplined in the process, then the end result will come.

When you fully trust your process, you stop caring about what others think of you. You become so focused on your path and process that everything else becomes white noise. You know what you need to do to get where you want to be.
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As I have mentioned before, a growth mindset is something that can be learned. It won't happen overnight, but it can be mastered with the right amount of discipline and patience. Who knows, one day it might be YOU standing on the Olympic podium watching your flag being raised. 

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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With the Tokyo Olympic Games finally around the corner, we have the opportunity to watch the most talented individuals in the world battle it out for the right to be crowned Olympic champions.

​When you hear the word “natural talent,” who comes to mind? We all have at least one person that we can think of that has “natural talent.” Then again, the term can have many different meanings. What do I mean by that?
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When we talk about natural talent, we tend to focus on someone’s ability to perform a specific task. When someone completes a task with extraordinary ability, we say that they have a natural talent for that particular task. However, most of the time our expectations for an athlete with natural talent, couldn’t be further from the truth.

When we see top athletes compete to be the best (especially at the Olympic Games), there is always somehow one that stands out above the rest. We quarrel with ourselves to understand what it is that makes them that good. Sometimes we can’t wrap our minds around their superhuman performances, and the only rational explanation is that they have a natural talent for what they do.

In our subconscious mind, we believe that those athletes were born that way. They have always been the best at what they do and always will be. Sometimes we do find athletes just like that. They have always been at the top of their age group and continue to perform well past what people thought they were capable of. However, one thing is for sure. They did not go that far with talent alone. ​

A while back, I wrote an article called, What Does It Take To Become An Elite-Level Athlete. In that article, I mentioned one specific point that has always stood out to me:

​I have seen many highly talented athletes come and go throughout my swimming career. All of these athletes have always been at the top of the age group growing up. However, this is where they faltered.
They had the idea in their minds that they will always be the best.

​They don’t need to work hard to beat their peers. What happened when their peers finally began to catch up? They quit because they didn’t know why it happened or how to deal with it. Let’s look at a hypothetical situation for a better understanding:

What happened next is up to your imagination. We are all talented individuals. That is why we do what we do. However, at the end of the day, it comes down to who is willing to work harder for what they want. Who is willing to put down everything they believe in to chase success.
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Yes, talent will always play a role, but it can never be the sole contributor. Talent needs to be accompanied by passion, hard work, and perseverance to make a real difference. 

If you are at the top of your age group, this is your reminder to continue to work hard. The work never stops, no matter how good you are. It won’t always be easy to stay on top. Remember, everyone below you is chasing you. They will come at you with everything they have, and if you let them, they will beat you.
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To all those working their way to the top, never give up. Put in everything you have into every practice. Your time will come. You just have to keep grinding. 

Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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In the world we live in today, we tend to feel lost and afraid.  We all have our own problems that we deal with daily. Whether you are experiencing individual or interpersonal conflict, we can all relate to each other to some extent.
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As athletes, it can be hard to remain focused on what you are doing in the midst of all this. However, there is always a way to train and compete with complete focus and get back on track. If you are struggling today, then this article might find you well. 

The first option is probably the most important. Ask for help. Whatever problems you might be facing, I guarantee you there is someone who would love to help. It is never a good idea to keep our problems to ourselves. Your coach can be a great option if you need someone to talk to. They know you for who you are and will always be there to help.
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When we keep problems to ourselves, they tend to pile up until we can't handle them anymore. Think about pressure building up in a bottle. When the pressure becomes too much, the bottle will explode. It is significantly harder to train properly when you have something lingering on your mind every day. 

​What are you trying to achieve? Are your problems getting in the way of reaching your goals? If so, then this strategy is even more critical. Thinking about your goals while you are training can significantly boost your self-esteem and confidence. It gives you something to work towards. It serves as a reminder of why you are doing what you are doing. 

An excellent way to focus on your goals is to create a goal sheet. What is the time period for you to achieve your goals? What are you going to do to achieve your goals? What are you going to change when you don't achieve your goals.
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Knowing where you are going is a fantastic way to boost your performance during training because you know exactly what you need to do each day. 

As athletes, we have all heard this saying a million times before. Why do coaches keep emphasizing these points? Sleep is always the number one priority, flowed by your diet as a close second. When we stress about our days, it makes it more difficult to get restful sleep. 

The day is over, and there is nothing you can do to change it. However, you can get a goodnight's rest and be better tomorrow. My coach always used to tell us that it is not about the total hours of sleep you get in that matters, but rather the total hours of sleep you get in before midnight. That is where our focus should be.

​Have you ever heard the saying, "We are what we eat?" Our mood and performance are greatly dependent on the way we fuel our bodies. We need to take care of ourselves and our bodies. A proper diet is a fantastic way to stay fresh and focused so you can tackle the day head-on. 

​Think about all the things that you have overcome in your life? I can almost guarantee that you have overcome things far worse than the situation you might be in right now. If not, then this situation is an opportunity to get stronger for the next time you are struggling. 

​There will always be times when we struggle to get by and just don't feel like doing anything. However, these are the moments when we have to prove to ourselves that we are more rigid than everybody thinks we are. If you can have this mindset, then you have already overcome your challenge. You just don't know it yet.

Most of the time, the problems we face are things we have no control over. Many times our lives are consumed by things that we cannot control. We get overwhelmed and end up losing focus on the things that matter. Determine what you can control and stick to it.
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If you are struggling today and need someone to reach out to, don't hesitate to contact me privately through social media or the contact page on this website. Remember, there is always someone willing to help you out. You just have to ask.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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As athletes, I am sure we can all agree that personal accountability is one of the most crucial characteristics that all champions have in common. What do you do behind the scenes when nobody is looking? Do you put in the extra work for yourself when no one asked you to, or do you do the bare minimum?
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In this article, we will look at the top 5 proven ways to improve personal accountability. I will also discuss some things I have done throughout my career that helped me go the distance. However, to improve your personal accountability, you need to understand what it is first.

When someone is personally accountable, they take ownership for the situations they find themselves in. In my previous post, I talked about The Power of Deliberate Decision-Making. I discussed how we are all products of the decisions we make.

Most athletes don’t understand that their coach can only give them the tools to get better, but how those tools are used is up to the athlete. You have to choose what to do with the tools that were given to you. Let us look at a hypothetical situation:

​Who do you think will perform better when the time comes? Mary or John? Mary will certainly be the most pleased by her results at the end of the season because she knows that she has done everything she possibly could to put herself in the right situation.

​The following strategies are some ways that have personally helped me improve my accountability significantly. We do have to remember that we are all unique, and some things that worked amazingly for me might not work at all for you. However, it is always good to try out new ways to improve.

​Sometimes it is good to set aside our pride. As an athlete, you will never be too good to ask for help. Your coach is there for a reason. At the same time, never be afraid to admit a mistake. We are all human, andwe all make mistakes. Admit that you made a mistake and learn from it. It is how we grow.

​We only have a limited amount of hours during the day. After we slept, ate, worked, and practiced, we are left with only a couple of hours before it is time to go to bed again. What will you do with those extra hours? Will you follow Mary’s example or John’s? 

​As athletes, we tend to focus on too many things at once. We have to. It’s part of what makes us great. However, it is essential to break it up into little bits from time to time. Try to give your full attention to one thing at a time. Perfecting specific skills is more critical than being mediocre at many skills. 

​When you are done with practice, what do you do? Do you go home, play video games and watch a movie, or do you think about your day? Part of what makes us athletes is always trying to find new ways to improve. When you get home, take ten minutes to reflect on what you have done at practice. What have you done well? What have you done not so well? Where can you improve?

It is imperative to remember that nothing happens overnight. Sometimes we start something just to give because it takes too long or it’s too hard. Stay patient and stay committed to your goals. This is one sure way to succeed. 

If you think about using one of these strategies, please let me know which one you plan to use in the comment section. If you have a different strategy you use to hold yourself accountable, I would love to hear about that too!

Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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In our hectic everyday lives, we tend to be so rushed that we make so many unconscious decisions. For example, we all have our specific morning routines from the moment we get out of bed. You get up, make yourself a cup of coffee, fill your bowl with cereal, shower, get dressed, brush your teeth, and so on. These are all decisions you’ve made unconsciously. You see, unconscious decision-making is a product of routine. These are the things that have become part of our everyday lives.
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However, when we begin to think about our decisions consciously, our lives begin to change in ways we could never imagine. This is a skill I have been trying to master for many years and still to this very day.

As athletes, we tend to get stuck in a daily routine. Sleep, practice, eat, repeat. This never-ending cycle results in mental exhaustion and growing tired of the very thing we have devoted our lives to. I have been guilty of being stuck in a routine when it came to swimming. I used to “go with the flow,” hoping I would improve.
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Life is too valuable to go with the flow. Making conscious decisions is one thing that will dramatically improve your way of living and, as a result, your overall performance. The most important thing is that it helps us learn more about ourselves. Why is this important?

When you know every single detail about yourself, it allows you to grow. It will enable you to answer questions about yourself that you usually wouldn’t be able to. For example, you might be wondering why you are not performing up to your usual caliber. Most people might think that they aren’t good enough anymore to compete the way they used to.
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However, when you know your body, you know where you are at in the season and where you should be. You know that even though you are not performing up to standard now, you will be at the end of the season when it matters. Deliberate decision-making is a skill that you can master. It just takes a little practice. 

​My senior year of college was the first time in my life when I focused on every little detail. From the minute I woke up to the very second I went to bed, I was conscious of every decision. I was more focused than ever before. I focused on what I was doing in practice, focusing on every detail of my stroke. For the first time, I was not only physically drained after practice but also mentally drained (in a good way, of course).

The point is not to focus on the big picture. That is something you keep in the back of your mind. The point of making deliberate decisions is to focus on all the little details that most people miss. Break it down. For example, what are you eating at which times of the day? Why are you eating it? Is it for performance, or is it for recovery?

One thing to look out for is not to try to tackle too much detail at once. This can lead to the feeling of being highly overwhelmed, which could potentially lead to giving up. Take it one day at a time. Focus on one thing at your next practice which you could improve on and nothing else. This is how we make deliberate decisions. 

​At the end of the day, it’s not always the person who works the hardest during practice getting the medal. Yes, physical work is a vital aspect of sport. However, it has to be paired with focus. You can be the hardest worker on your team, but you will eventually reach a plateau if you only go through the motions each day. 

I cannot emphasize the importance of focus during practice. You have to be mentally present every day. When you know your body this well, you won’t falter when it comes to competition. You will know exactly what you need to do when you don’t feel perfect. Most of the time we don’t feel perfect during competition.

We won’t always have the ideal conditions, the superior race, or the perfect mindset.
When you make deliberate decisions, you learn how to adapt to any situation. That is what makes us champions. Many people believe that champions are born different from the rest of us when, in fact, they are products of all the decisions they made throughout their careers.

Tell me in the comment section below what you are going to focus on during your next practice.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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Being from South Africa, one of my greatest dreams has always been to make it into a division one college in America. I knew that if I wanted to take my swimming to the next level, I would need a next-level environment. For me, America was the only option. I will never forget the feeling of receiving an offer from Florida State University, one of the best programs in the country.
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I have had the opportunity to work with a fantastic coaching staff and teammates throughout my four years at Florida State. As a result, I have learned valuable lessons along the way and would like to share my top six things I have learned from being a college athlete in America. 

One of the biggest shocks for me was the sheer size of the team atmosphere. In South Africa, swimming is generally seen as an individual sport. Although we are still part of our high school team, club team, or national team, we tend to compete against ourselves rather than the person next to us.

One of the hardest things in the world is to win a battle against yourself. As we get better and faster, our times stop dropping so drastically, and we might not swim personal bests at every meet anymore. Things like this can mess with our minds as athletes if we don’t have the right mindset.
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All of this changed once I got to the United States. For the first time in my life, I was not racing for myself anymore. I was racing for my team, for my university. It was always about touching ahead of the person in the lane next to you. Times didn’t matter anymore. 

As athletes, we do not want to be spending time stressing about whether we will have enough time to get assignments done or study for tests. This is where time management comes in. Time management was probably one of the most important and useful skills I have learned. 

In America, all our classes are scheduled around our practice times. Therefore, we know exactly how much time we would spend in the pool, weight room, or classroom way before school even starts. This allows you to plan in advance—something I would highly recommend.
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Once I started to manage my time more effectively, it felt like I had so much more time on my hands. It takes a lot of unnecessary pressure off you as an athlete, allowing you to focus on what you do best.

No human being on this planet is perfect. No one can constantly work without taking a little break. My advice to all athletes is to take a break now and then from what you do. I am not telling you to take a month off from sport and be lazy. Take a mental break.
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Do something else to get your mind off work and practice. It is always good to rejuvenate ourselves. It’s like pressing the reset button on your remote.

​This way, we stay fresh and can keep performing at elite levels without getting exhausted or depressed.

​​Throughout my four years at Florida State, I have had several coaches come and go. I swam under three coaches in my time there and have learned valuable things from each of them. One thing I have learned through this process is to accept change.

Change allows us to grow and become better athletes. Your performance will depend on how fast you can adapt to change. Something that has helped me adapt quickly to new situations in the past is to view them as opportunities to learn more.

No one knows everything there is to know. I recently wrote an article about it, Practice Makes Better, if you would like to go check it out. The more we learn, the more we grow. So whenever you are placed in a situation that is new or that you are unsure of, see it as an opportunity to get better. ​

It was the summer of 2018, right before my junior year. I badly hurt my ankle and had to get surgery done to get it fixed. I was heartbroken because I was unable to train for several weeks and had no idea what my future at Florida State would hold. Check out my article to learn more about it HERE. 

As I have mentioned in my previous point, you can always get better at something. That is when I realized that this minor setback provides me the opportunity to focus on something else. I started with some core work outside of the pool, and in the pool, I focused on what I can control.
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I never once thought of my injury as something that would put me at a disadvantage. I realized that every disadvantage could be turned into an advantage with the right amount of focus and work. We get injured as athletes; it is part of what we do. The important thing, however, is not to lose hope when we do. Always trust the process.

The most valuable thing of all I have learned is that life goes on. When we don’t perform like we would like to, we get demotivated and upset with ourselves and sometimes the rest of the world. Ironically, it doesn’t matter. You might get some sympathy from friends and family, but at the end of the day, you are competing for something much bigger.

The world doesn’t stop when you don’t meet your goals. The harsh reality is that it will keep beating you to the ground if you let it. We all have had bad performances at one time or another. The important thing is to keep your head up and keep pushing.

I recently watched the television series Ted Lasso. It is about an American football coach who got a job in England coaching soccer, of which he knows nothing about. When one of the players wasn’t performing up to standard, he called him up and told him something that I would never forget.

He asked him what the happiest animal on this planet is. The answer he gave was a goldfish. Confused, the player looked at him as if he were crazy. He continued to say that a goldfish is the happiest animal on this planet because it only has a ten-second memory. If it would mess up, it would only remember it for ten seconds and then move on. 

So today, I want to tell you to go out there and be like a goldfish. It is OK to be upset after a bad performance for a little while, but then we have to move on. The lessons I have learned in my four years at Florida State are values that I will carry with me until the end of my days. 


​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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As athletes, we hear the saying, “Practice makes perfect,” all too often. Although it might be true in some cases, it gives a false sense of our abilities most of the time. Perfection is something all of us strive for in everything we do. However, perfection is not always realistic.
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When we don’t achieve perfection after countless hours of practice, we tend to develop a sense of self-rejection. We think that we are not good enough anymore when, in reality, we are better than we were yesterday. So how exactly does practice make us better?

I have talked about the importance of failure in many of my previous posts. Failure is not what keeps you from reaching success. Failure is what makes you successful. So embrace it. Never be afraid to fail. The beauty of practice is that it allows us to fail without any real consequences. See practice as an opportunity to fail.

Failure is what helps us grow into better athletes.  It allows us to learn from our mistakes and move forward. Failure provides us with the opportunity to rethink, evaluate and find new ways to reach our goals. It is not a wall that keeps us from moving past, but rather a gate that we can walk through. 

When someone asks you what the most challenging practice is that you have ever done, there will always be at least one practice that comes to mind. I can think of several practices that I have done throughout my swimming career that I thought would be impossible. Yet, I completed them and was happy about the way I finished them.
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Overcoming hardships in our lives shows us what we are capable of. Practice, in most cases, is a mental game. There is one quote that we had all heard before that I used to think of when I thought I was too tired to carry on:

If you think you can, then you can. It really is as simple as that. My eleventh-grade physics teacher once told me, “If you think you can, then you are right. If you think you can’t, then you are right too.” Belief can go a long way.
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When competition eventually comes around, it will hurt, and your muscles will ache. However, you will be able to push past the pain because that is precisely what you have done in practice. This is the mindset we need to have. We compete the way we practice.

This is the reason we can never be perfect. As we grow older, we begin to realize that there will always be more to learn about what we do. Those who believe they know everything are the ones who get stuck in their ways. As a result, they wonder why their peers are progressing while they are not.

The most successful athletes in the world are the ones who are willing to learn while others are not. We have to be willing to learn every day for the rest of our lives because that is how we get better and how we move forward. That is how we become champions of our world.
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They have realized that it is okay not to be perfect. If you are perfect, you cannot grow. If you cannot grow, then you cannot get better. Remember, we can always strive to be perfect. If you retire one day and can honestly say that you gave it everything you have, what more could anyone possibly ask for?

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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​Imagine someone asks you if you have the most valuable skill in the world. Would you say yes? Would you even know what that person is talking about? I want to talk about one of the most essential skills that we, as athletes, could have. This skill can make or break you. It has the ability to make the unthinkable possible. If we can master this one skill, everything else eventually falls into place. Can you guess what this remarkable skill is that I am talking about? I am talking about the most valuable skill in the world, discipline. 

​In our everyday lives, it could be something as simple as doing the dishes. There is never a good time to do it, but we know it needs to be done. If you feel like you lack discipline in your life, then you are in luck!

However, the difficulty of learning this skill depends on several key factors. For example, your ability to learn new things quickly or your willingness to keep trying when things are hard. Ironically, it requires discipline to learn discipline. It might be easy to learn for some and seem near impossible for others. So if it is so hard to teach yourself discipline, why do it? ​

Why Is Discipline Important?
The beauty of mastering discipline is that discipline is one of the few skills that ties everything together. Everything you do in your life requires some level of discipline for it to be completed successfully. The level of success you reach in those tasks are entirely dependent on your level of discipline throughout them. 

I have achieved things throughout my swimming career that I once only dreamed of. The biggest mistake a lot of us make is to attempt giant leaps rather than little steps. Discipline allows us to be one percent better every day. That’s all we need. If you can be one percent better today than yesterday, you are moving in the right direction.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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We put in so much time and effort doing something we love. We train our whole lives to get better at something that will eventually come to an end. Why do we do this? Perhaps it is to prove something to ourselves or our peers, or maybe it is for that sense of satisfaction when you finally reach your goals. Whatever your reason might be, the reality is that eventually, it ends. When this day comes around, it isn't easy to move on. We have worked so hard to be the best, just for it to end so abruptly.
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I remember the day I retired from swimming. I have been swimming competitively since I was nine years old. For fourteen long years, I have put everything I have into the sport. It was challenging to hang up my cap and goggles. At times I felt like my hard work and dedication to the sport was all for nothing. However, I realized that I had done everything I could, and now it is time to move on.

In this post, I will share some fantastic ways we, as athletes, can keep ourselves going after doing what we love for so long. These are all things that have helped me significantly to keep moving forward without looking back.

1)Find a way to share your knowledge with others
This was probably the one that helped me the most. My love and passion for swimming allowed me to stay in the sport with coaching and, of course, this blog. These two ways will hopefully enable me to make a difference in others' lives. My goal is to share what I have learned throughout my years with as many people as possible.

Sharing your knowledge with others is an excellent way for you to keep doing what you have done for so many years. The best part is that it does not require you to start from scratch. You already have the background. Now, you need to find the right way to share all the lessons and skills you have learned.

2)Find another challenge
As athletes, we tend to be overly competitive. We all know that one guy that wants to turn everything into a competition. There is nothing wrong with being competitive. After all, that is what made us all great athletes. However, once it all ends, we feel empty. At least, this is how I felt. We miss our teammates, and we miss the competition with each other every day. So what do we do now?

Go out and find something else to challenge you. Yes, it might not be on the same level as what you have done, but you might find that it brings the same satisfaction when you achieve your goals. We are athletes because we love competition with ourselves and with others. It is what makes us who we are.

3)How can you use the lessons and skills you have learned going forward?
The third and final step you can think about is what have you learned throughout your many years of competing and how you can use it moving forward. Sport is a fantastic thing in our lives. It teaches us so many valuable life lessons. For example, how to perform in a team environment or the importance of work ethic if we want to succeed.

You probably already thought of a few others as well. The thing is, sport prepared you for your life after retirement in ways you probably never thought of. It made us believe that we can do anything and everything. The only requirement is commitment. If you stay committed to your goals, then you will achieve great things.

Life after sport is challenging. So it is a good thing that we welcome challenges. We know what it feels like to be knocked down, and we know how to get back up again. If you ever feel scared about what lies ahead, remember all the great, challenging things you have overcome throughout your career. I can honestly say that I don't regret anything and am excited for the long road ahead of me.

Please tell me in the comment section below which of these steps you will use or have used that worked for you. I would also love to hear about all the different actions you have taken in your life after sport. 

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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When someone comes up to you and asks, “What was the greatest day of your life?” what would you say? Is it the day you got that big promotion, the day you made the national team, or the day you finally achieved a significant milestone? You might have one day that came to mind, or you might have several. For me, I can think of two. The two greatest days of my life is the day I was born and the day I find out why. So that is what I want to talk to you about today.

The Day You Were Born
The day you were born was the day you took your first breath. It was the first day of the rest of your life. Countless decisions to be made. Some good, some bad, some terrible. However, the beauty in all of this is that we can learn from the mistakes we make and grow. I know I have made too many mistakes in my life.

I have always been told that it is good to make mistakes. It allows us to learn from it and become better versions of ourselves. Just do not make the same mistake twice. Whenever I make a wrong decision, I always try to take at least one thing from it. One thing that I can improve, so I do not make that mistake again. Make your mistake. Learn from it. Move on.

The Day You Find Out Why
The funny thing about this day for me is that it probably has not happened yet. Or maybe it has. It could be to write this blog for you today. This is a moment that is clear as day for some people, and for others, it is about as clear as mud. One thing I do know is that this day will come. Someone once told me, “Find something you are willing to die for, then live for it.” This message has stuck with me and is probably something I will never forget. It has such a powerful meaning behind it.

What do you love to do? We all have that something. For me, it is sharing these blogs with you. However, most of us do not always have the time to do the things we love. Today I want to tell you to make time. We tend to get so stuck in a routine that we completely forget to live for what we have. We tend to go through the motions each day without appreciating the little things. Spend some time each week to do the things you love. It is a great way to reset a busy work week. Ultimately, when you can do what you love, it takes you one step closer to finding your why.

The ultimate goal for most of us is to find out why. This is the day when everything falls into place. You will never have this day again, so make it count. When I was younger, I always thought that my “why” was to swim. It was only once I got older when I realized that life is about so much more. I am now able to share my personal experiences from my years of swimming, along with the valuable lessons I have learned along the way.

I dare you all today to go after that one thing you are willing to die for and LIVE FOR IT.

We can start by leaving a comment below. Then, tell me what you are going to do to find your “why”. This is a fantastic way to make a commitment to yourself. 

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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Injuries can be one of the most frustrating things that can happen to you. Coming back from an injury is never easy, and sometimes you feel like giving up. When I say that coming back from an injury is difficult, I speak from personal experience. I touched on my injury a little bit in my recent blog, “My Rollercoaster Ride as A Division 1 Athlete.” If you have not read it yet, I suggest that you check it out if you would like to know more about my injury. In this post, I will share my experience with my injury and how I overcame it. In turn, I hope that I can help teach you the subtle art of coming back from your injury.

Having an ankle injury as a swimmer was a pretty hard knock for me. I knew that ankle flexibility is essential to the sport. I knew that I had a long road of recovery ahead of me, but I was willing to follow it through to the end. At the time, I had no idea how much work I would have to put in to get back to where I was. Nevertheless, I knew I had a long road ahead of me.

Below, I share with you the three unique concepts that I used to fast-track my injury:

1.Rehab. Rehab. Rehab.
Rehab was by far the most beneficial for my injury. I was fortunate enough to have access to a fantastic staff at Florida State University. Rehab is one of the most critical phases when it comes to recovering from an injury. It consists of various techniques and processes to promote healing. However, it is imperative to stay disciplined and patient with the process. Nothing happens overnight, especially coming back from an injury. Listen to your physiotherapist or whoever might be assisting you through your rehab process and follow through with it.

2.Know your body
Take it slow. You know your body better than anyone else. You know how far you can push yourself before the breaking point. However, it is vital to start slow. If you get back into things too fast, you worsen or possibly reinjure yourself. The term “damage control” is perfect to use in this situation. You are already “damaged.” The chances are that you will get frustrated with yourself because you think you are not healing at the rate you should. I am here to tell you to take a deep breath and take it one day at a time. If you can be 1% better each day, that is progress. Make it a goal to be a little bit better each day.

3.Trust the Process
Then, the very last step and the only one that kept me sane throughout the long, exhausting road. Trust the process. Recognize that the good things come with time. Focus on what you can control and nothing else. One thing that significantly helped me was focusing on things during training that I usually would not even think about. For example, whenever my ankle would start bugging me during swim practice, I would begin to pull. No kicking, just pulling with my arms. This allowed me to focus more on the little things in my technique that eventually went a long way. Take your injury as an opportunity to try new things and improve yourself in different areas.

Coming back from injury is never easy. It requires hard work, dedication, perseverance, and most important of all, consistency. It is a true art that takes time and has a particular process that you have to follow. My road was not easy by any means, but I sure am glad that I did it properly. There are no shortcuts to come back from an injury. Shortcuts only result in reinjury over time. Stay consistent with what you are doing, and you will be back from your injury better than ever.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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Welcome back to part two of my road from beginner to division one. If you have not read my first post yet, make sure to do so by clicking HERE. In this post, I will talk about my amazing college career as a division one athlete. This blog will discuss the ups and downs I experienced throughout my four years at Florida State University. I will then go into more depth about how I overcame the firm grasp of adversity. Let us dive right into it.

Freshman Year
My freshman year was arguably one of my best years in my college career when it came to swimming. I officially started mid-year in January. I had arrived several weeks earlier after being invited to go on a training camp to introduce myself to the team. That training camp is one I will never forget since it consisted of a lot of running (I am the worst runner on this planet). However, being from South Africa, it was my first time training and racing in short course yards. Nonetheless, I was able to swim several in-season personal bests throughout the upcoming weeks.

Since the day we got back to practice in early January, there were only a couple of weeks left before our big conference meet. Florida State is part of the Atlantic Coast Conference or the ACC for those who do not know. The ACC is considered to be one of the largest and most competitive conferences in the country. However, the only meet that is more significant is NCAA. This is where the fastest college swimmers throughout the whole country come together and race. After several weeks of training and racing, I was fortunate enough to make my way onto the ACC team. My first ACC-meet was a blast. The atmosphere surrounding the meet was extraordinary. I have never experienced anything like it.

To me, swimming has always been an individual sport. You train for yourself, and you race for yourself. However, for the first time in my life, I saw swimming as a team sport. Suddenly, I was not just competing for myself; I was competing for my team. As a result, I swam several personal bests at that meet. After the season ended, we would get a two-week break to recover and get ready for the next season. Little did I know what was in store for me in the year to come…

Sophomore and Junior Years
My middle two years of college were full of surprises. My sophomore year was very similar to my freshman year. I worked hard throughout the season and made the ACC team once again. My times slightly improved from my freshman year, and I was happy with how the season ended. I was excited because I knew that I could go back home to South Africa for the summer months. But then, something unfortunate happened during the summer after my sophomore year.

In July of 2018, I twisted my ankle badly. How did this happen? By playing an innocent game of table tennis with my brother. Of course, probably the silliest way to get injured. At the time, all I knew was that it hurt. However, after a couple of days, it felt better, and I did not think much of it. I went on with my life as if everything was normal.

​After about two weeks, I noticed that it was still severely swollen. I went to go get it checked out, and it turned out I had a complete tear in my ATFL and a syndesmosis injury (caused by bone rubbing on bone). The doctor gave me two options. They could fix it via surgery, and I would need six weeks recovery time, or I could let it heal by itself and would need six months before I could swim again. Normally I would do anything to avoid surgery, but this was a no brainer.

With my junior season right around the corner, I moved forward with the surgery. I had to continue my rehab at Florida State, and I was fortunate enough to have amazing people look after me. Before I knew it, I was back in the pool training again. It was not easy. I had good days, and I had terrible days, but I had to push through. I realized that I was still living my dream and would not let anything ruin that. My whole mentality changed, and I was more motivated than ever before.

I constantly told myself that I was going to make this the best year I have ever had. As a result, I once again made it onto the ACC team for the third year. I was ecstatic. I was very pleased with myself and what I have been through and overcome the past year. I then managed to make my way onto the NCAA team. This was indeed a dream come true for me. I was going to the fastest meet in the world. This was truly the best year I have ever had and would change the way I think forever.

Senior Year
Senior Year finally came around. I had a fresh mentality, along with new coaches. I knew that this was a combination that would greatly benefit me. I worked harder than I ever have before throughout the season, committed to having a great final year. I have not even touched my in-season best times since the injury. I felt great, and I felt disciplined. I wrote down every practice we did throughout the season, along with detailed notes about how it felt and how I overcame the hardships of that specific practice.

I then gave myself an honest rating out of ten to see how I did and improved as the season went on. I was finally able to swim my times from freshman year again, and I knew I was on the right road. I was blessed enough to make the ACC team for the fourth year in a row. Again, I swam some personal bests, and with some events, I got close.

I did not make it to NCAA this time around. However, I was happy. After my final race, I looked up at the scoreboard with a smile on my face. I was done. I knew that I had done everything I could to make the most out of my final year. What more could anyone possibly ask for?
 
Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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 Sport has always been a significant part of my life. When I was younger, I would always find myself competing with my friends or family, whether it was an official swim meet or simply running against my brother to see who was the fastest (I just had to make sure it was still me). Little did I know back then where my life would end up. Playing sports has always been my escape from reality. It was a place where I could go when things started piling up around me. Somewhere where I could be alone with myself and my thoughts. However, the events that would follow later in my life would change my life forever. It indeed is a strenuous journey from beginner to division one athlete.

Growing up
I competed in three sports growing up, tennis, cricket, and swimming. For the most part, swimming has been my favorite out of the three and the one that required the most time and effort. Once I got to High school, I had to make a fundamental decision. I had to choose one sport to carry on with, simply because the day was too short. So, I decided that my love for swimming overshadowed both cricket and tennis. Thinking back on it today, if I could go back in time, I would make the same decision all over again.

The combination of swimming and high school taught me how to manage my time effectively and efficiently. With almost 4 hours of practice each day, along with another 6 hours of school, I learned that time is precious and that I need to make the most of it. However, I was never the best student. I have never been someone who could sit in front of his books and study for hours at a time. My mind would wander, and I would raid the fridge every five minutes. Then, I decided that if I wanted to take my swimming to the next level, I needed to work equally hard in school. It has been a dream of mine to one day go swim in the United States. For that to happen, I realized that one major thing needed to change. I had to become a better student, not only in school but also in swimming.

When I was about 15, that is precisely what I set my mind to. I was committed to keeping myself from becoming my own worst enemy. I trained hard in and out of the pool and worked hard in the classroom. When I turned 17, I started to get my name out there. I sent out countless emails to pretty much every school in the United States, hoping that at least one of them gets back to me. For months I failed to get any replies, but I stayed consistent with everything I was doing. Then, one day, I got an email that would change my life…

The Beginning of My College Career
Being from South Africa, I knew very little about universities in the United States at the time. I received an offer from Florida State University to join the swim team. I was ecstatic, even not genuinely being able to grasp the sheer size of this opportunity. “I made it! I finally made it!” I said to myself. The hard work and perseverance have finally paid off. I was about to make my biggest dream become a reality. My college career was full of ups and downs that would shape every part of me, and I cannot wait to tell you all about it in my future post. Check out part 2 NOW!

Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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What is the definition of an elite level athlete? Is it someone who consistently wins competitions and can perform at the highest level day in and day out, or is it someone with extraordinary abilities to do things others can’t? I am sure we all have several names that come to mind when answering these questions. Usain Bolt, Michael Phelps, Floyd Mayweather, and Kobe Bryant are a few names that immediately came to mind for me. However, when thinking about becoming elite level athletes, we should not ask why they are at the top but rather how they made it to the top. How do you become an elite athlete?
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Sometimes we think they are where they are because of their exceptional talents, and there is nothing wrong with us thinking this. As humans, we tend to believe what we see and what we see is their performances in the ring, on the track, in the pool, or on the court. As a former elite-level swimmer, I can confidently say that these out-of-the-world performances are only the tip of the iceberg. So what goes on behind the scenes? Below are five things that could show you how to become an elite athlete:

1. They do not expect to become a superstar overnight
Arguably one of the most important secrets to success. Nothing ever happens overnight. If you expect it to, you will most likely end up disappointed. Success takes time, effort and perseverance. You have to trust the process and recognize that it takes time. Never do something just to do it. Do everything you do with a purpose, and you will continue to grow and reach many milestones. Also check out Never Let It Rest.

2. They are willing to do things others are not
To be the best, you have to beat the best. This means that you have to be willing to do what most people will not even think about. What do you do when no one is watching? What are you doing to put yourself in the best possible position to become your best self? Are you following an elite athlete diet, for example? The decisions you make for yourself are the decisions that will turn you from novice to elite.

3. They recognize that hard work beats talent
Every elite athlete out there will tell you the same thing. They are where they are because of their work ethic. Yes, talent can go a long way, but what do you do when talent is not enough anymore? When I was younger, I was struggling to keep up with the rest of my age group. Then, one day, someone close to me told me something that stuck with me to this day. He sat me down and said, “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Believe in yourself and trust the process.” The only thing I could do was put my head down and get back to work, and it sure paid off.

4. They embrace Failure
Failure is one of the most frequent and essential obstacles on the road to success. How you deal with failure will determine who you become and where you end up. Every elite athlete out there can talk to you for hours upon hours about how they have failed countless times, but instead of giving up, they kept on pushing.
 
5. They love what they do
At the end of the day, you have to love what you do. Elite athletes put in hours and hours of training every day to keep their bodies and minds in optimal shape. If you do not love what you do every day, all this hard work can only take you so far. Your heart needs to be in it 100% of the way.

The sky is the limit. You have heard the following saying a million times before, but I will say it again: YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU PUT YOUR MIND TO. You just have to be willing to work for it and not give up when things get tough. So get out there and keep on pushing.

Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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This article was posted in world-renowned swimming magazine, SwimSwam

As we all know, there is nothing more amazing than executing that dream performance that you have been working on for so long. There is only one big problem, though. That dream performance only comes along every once in a blue moon. Most of the time, you work harder than anyone else in the room just to get mediocre results. That is when all the negative thoughts start streaming into your mind. Why am I so dumb? Why can’t I do this? Why am I such a failure?

The answer to these questions is simple. You’re not dumb. You can do this. You are not a failure. All you need is that alpha mindset. That alpha mindset that will motivate you to keep going and try one more time. This article will share with you five unique ways that will help you develop that alpha mindset.

1. Practice
Ever heard of the saying practice makes perfect? Well, this is most certainly a great way to get rid of all your negative thoughts. The more you practice a particular skill, the more confident you will become. You have practiced this specific skill over and over again, and you can pretty much do it with your eyes closed. You know you have performed it a million times before, so what makes this one any different? Practice builds confidence, which is a critical factor in developing an alpha mindset.

2. Self-talk
Self-talk is probably the most effective away of building a powerful mindset. It will not get rid of those negative thoughts completely, but it will help you manage them. Here are some examples:

YOU CAN DO IT

YOU WILL NOT FAIL

YOU WILL NOT GIVE UP

JUST TRY IT ONE MORE TIME

You can use self-talk wherever you are, out loud or inside your head. You are the person you’ve always wanted to be. All you have to do now is tell it to yourself.

3. It is all right to fail
Failure. The biggest culprit for negative emotions. Every successful person ever knows exactly what it means to fail. They have made failure a part of their everyday lives. They have recognized failure as their best friend, because they have realized that failure leads to success. By no means does failure mean it is the end of the road for you. Failure should be viewed as a learning lesson. It allows us to get back at it even more robust than we were before. All you have to do is embrace it. Learn from it and move on.

4. Make a goal sheet
Writing out your goals on a piece of paper is highly effective in significantly boosting performance. This gives you the ability to keep your goals in the back of your head while you are practicing. Your goals are supposed to be challenging to reach. Set them up in such a way that they would challenge your limits. Now you know precisely what you are working for. It gives you the ability to push past the impossible obstacles in your life, because you constantly think about where you want to be and who you want to become. This thinking process is more significant than any obstacle that might cross your path, and you will soar over it.

5. Challenge your challenges
Don’t be afraid of attempting complex tasks. If it challenges you, it changes you. There are no short cuts in life. There is only one way to make it, wake up and grind. Besides, every time you succeed in completing a challenging task, you become more aware of what you are capable of. To move forward, you have to test yourself. This way, you can see what you need to do. Do you have to take a small step back (which is perfectly fine, remember?) or can you take a giant leap forward and move on to the next “impossible” challenge.

All of the above secrets work together in developing your alpha mindset. Now some of you might ask, “How do I know that I have attained an alpha mindset?” Once you realize that nothing is impossible, that your only limit is you and that you will never be too good to learn new things. This is the foundation of creating an ALPHA MINDSET!
 
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“There is no success like failure,” such a strange way to put it. Any successful person out there would tell you that their success did not come overnight. Their success came through countless failures throughout their lives. They learned from their failures. They grew from their failures. They became successful because of their failures. They have learned the value that failure brings to their lives. They have allowed failure to mold them into who they are today.

Failure is one of the best gifts given to us, because it enables us to grow. Through many failed attempts, we learn how to deal with failure and, as a result, how to embrace it. Failure surely will not kill you, but your fear to fail might keep you from reaching new heights.
 
Why is failure a good thing?
There are many people out there who want to change something for the better. They want to try something new, but something inside of them is keeping them from doing so. That something is often called “fear of failure”. Embracing failure and change are two concepts that are interconnected with each other. Without one, the other would not be possible. If we are afraid to fail, we cannot improve ourselves and ultimately live our best life.
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For us to try something new, we have to be prepared to fail. Fear of Failure often keeps us from trying new things. We are afraid of letting ourselves and those around us down. Michael Jordan once said, “I failed over and over again in my career, and that is why I succeed”. Do not be afraid to fail, as it teaches us valuable lessons. Failure molds us into something good, something extraordinary.  
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How to deal with failure
There are many ways to deal with failure. Arguably the most common way to deal with failure is to embrace it. Expect failure to show up at your doorstep and befriend it. Once you recognize that failure can be your greatest ally, then you are already halfway to the finish line.

Another fantastic way to deal with failure is to go back to the drawing board after a failed attempt. Do not give up so easily. Find the problem. What caused you to fail? Then, find the solution to your problem. This is how we grow. Learn from it and keep going!

The third and final way to deal with failure is to simply trust the process. Great things never happen overnight. It takes time. The road to greatness and success is a long, windy, steep road. It is a road that many people would not dare to take, because it is too hard, and they do not want to cross paths with failure. Every failed attempt is one step closer to the end of the road. Failure does not mean your ideas are not good or that you dream too big. It simply means that you might have to take a different approach to reach your goal. The lessons we learn along the way are often more valuable than the end result.

If your ability to get back up after failure exceeds all your negative thoughts, then you can do whatever you set your mind to. Failure is probably one of the biggest blessings in disguise. Embrace it. Grow from it. Trust it. Follow these three steps and your life might just change before your eyes. Allow your failures to shape you piece by piece into something astonishing.

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​COVID-19 brought a period to us that we never thought would come in our lifetimes. Businesses shut down and sports stopped utterly. We were forced to abandon our everyday lives. Many people out there are still working from home or fighting the consequences of the ongoing pandemic. One thing is for sure; we can all agree that being home all day, every day, is beyond dull. This can result in a significant loss of motivation to stay productive. The problem starts when we begin to get comfortable in our new circumstances. In this blog, I will discuss some of the fantastic benefits you will receive by staying productive and keep your body in top shape. You do not have to be a fitness fanatic to reap the benefits. 
 
Benefit #1: Exercise Improves Your Mental Functions 
A strong mentality is arguably the most critical aspect of living a healthy lifestyle. Studies have shown that regular exercise can relieve stress, provide more restful sleep, and dramatically boosts your overall mood. Exercise releases chemicals, such as endorphins and serotonin, that improve your mood. High-intensity aerobic exercise has been shown to have the most significant impact on your overall mental health. Examples of high-intensity aerobic exercises include using the stair master or elliptical machines. 
 
Benefit #2: Exercise is Good for Your Muscles and Bones 
Exercise plays a vital role in creating strong muscles and healthy bones. Exercise helps release certain hormones that help your muscles’ ability to absorb amino acids. This is what helps them grow. When we age, our bodies tend to lose muscle mass and function, leading to injuries and disabilities. Regular physical activity helps reduce muscle loss and maintain strength as you grow older. Exercise also builds bone density, which can help prevent conditions such as osteoporosis later in life. 
 
Benefit #3: Exercise Can Help with Weight Loss  
We all know about this one. Inactivity is one of the most significant factors in weight gain and obesity. Your body spends energy in three ways: digesting the food you eat, exercising, and maintaining bodily functions. Exercise can increase metabolism and the number of calories you burn in a day. You do not have to do hours upon hours of training each day to gain from the benefits it provides. Researchers have found that men who exercised hard enough to sweat for 30 minutes away lost an average of 8 pounds over three months, while men who worked out for 60 minutes a day merely lost 6 pounds over the same time frame. Some of the top exercises that will help you burn that extra couple of pounds include running, cycling, swimming, and abdominal workouts, to only name a few. 
 
Benefit #4: Exercise Can Help You Escape Reality 
After a hard day of work, there are few things you can do to clear your head and cleanse your body from stress and negative thoughts. Exercise is one of those things. Again, you do not have to do a 2-hour long workout to feel better (even though we sometimes feel like that would still be too short). A quick 20-30 minute workout can do wonders. It is more than enough to help you sweat out all those nasty toxins built up from being locked inside all day. 

There you have it. If you genuinely want to stay safe and healthy during this worldwide crisis, consider staying active. Do not fall prisoner to laziness. Just because we are home all day does not mean we can’t remain active. You do not have to go to a gym or public space to do a quick workout. Stay tuned for my upcoming post, where I will provide sample workouts anyone can do from home. 

Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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There have been many people that I have crossed paths with who quit because it was too hard. To succeed, you have to be willing to put in the work. Let's take the people who have successfully climbed Mount Everest, for example. They walk around with a fantastic story to tell their friends and family. How did they make it to the top? Did they simply wake up one day and decided to climb it right away? Definitely not!

The part we see is merely the tip of the iceberg. It is what happens below the water that matters. They have trained many years leading up to their climb. They have put in many hours of hard work because they knew what they wanted to do. They climbed for days without giving up, with one goal in mind. They were willing to put in the work so they could live out their biggest dreams. What did they get for all the hard work? A breathtaking view. That is what we live for, after all. The view at the end of the road that makes everything you have done and all the hard work you have put in worth it.

There is only one way to get to the top:
HARD WORK

Mindset is EVERYTHING
Think about all those times when pain took over your mind. Those times when the practice was too hard. Those times when you told yourself that you are going to take it easy today. Think about where you would have been if you had pushed through. Suppose you said to yourself that it is not as bad as it seems. Where would you have been today?

When you tell yourself you can't do it, you are correct. But, when you tell yourself you can do it, you are also correct. Mindset is everything when it comes to success. Everyone has a different version of "the top". Every person who has reached it can tell you how important it is to have the right mindset. It won't happen overnight. It takes time. All you have to do is be patient and trust your training.

What do I do when things get tough?
When things start to get hard, focus on your goal. Close your eyes. Think about what it would feel like to reach your ultimate goal. Think about how you tell your friends and family what you have achieved. Work through the pain. It is only a temporary obstacle between you and your goal.

Realize that it would make you stronger, mentally and physically. Don't try to find substitutes for hard work, because there are none. Success is not handed to anyone. You have to get up and go get it. Embrace the pain. It's how you become great. It's supposed to be challenging and uncomfortable. Don't be afraid of it. Face it head-on.
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Work Harder!
Never give up on yourself. Believe until the very end. You can do this. You have what it takes. I believe in you. You have to believe that you do too. It doesn't matter what your goal might be. It could be climbing Mount Everest, or it could be to simply live a healthier lifestyle. It is all the same. You have to get up and start working on your goals and don't stop until you reach them. Keep working harder than anyone else around you.

Learn to fall in love with hard work, because in the end, that will be your greatest asset. If getting to the top was easy, it wouldn't be so fulfilling. There will be struggles. There will be fear. There will be doubt. You might think that it is impossible and you will never make it, UNTIL YOU DO…

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​How many of you have ever tried to accomplish a certain goal and just kept failing time and time again? This could be anything from a goal time in practice to winning Olympic gold. You have tried everything possible. Your effort level is there. You work harder than everyone around you. Your body is sore, as your muscles ache from the amount of work you put in. You have thought about every possible way to improve even more so you could creep just an inch closer to your goal. Well, I’m here to ask you to stop thinking. It sounds crazy, right? Let me tell you why.

Thinking too much can demotivate you
The moment you realize you aren’t performing the way you would like to; you start thinking about what you are doing wrong. You start to ask yourself the “what if” question (check out my article “What If” to learn more on this). “What if I’m just not good enough?” “What if I’ll never make it to the top?” When you don’t perform to your expectations, negative thoughts are generally the first thing to pop up in your mind. You start to criticize yourself on problems you never even had to begin with. You become overwhelmed with all these new “problems” you have created, which leads to a significant decrease in performance.

Thinking tends to overcomplicate the basics 
Another way your mind could betray you is through overcomplicating the little things. You don’t perform as well as you want to, so your mind immediately tells you that something is off. Whatever that may be, you then overthink it. Overthinking is just another distraction you don’t need. It forces you to focus on things that are less important, rather than the things that will actually make you perform. Focusing on the problems will always lead to more problems. Rather focus on the possibilities so you can have more opportunities.
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Thinking gives you limitations 
It’s true. Let me ask you a question. What is the very first thing you do when you are in the middle of practice and your muscles are absolutely on fire? You think about it. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s completely normal. However, thinking puts some incredible limitations on your abilities. If you have always been bad at something, you might be thinking that it is just something that you will never be good at. The one thing that separates the good from the best is the ability to move outside of your comfort zone. If we keep thinking about how much it hurts, there is no way in the world that you would be able to perform to the best of your ability. Great performances require great practices and great practices requires you to take that step out of the comfort zone. So challenge yourself to take one small step further out of your comfort zone every day, and eventually improvement will come.  Stop thinking, start doing.
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Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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The world we live in today is a world full of great discoveries and accomplishments. There are so many individuals we consider to be the best in their field. Tom Brady, for example, is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time. Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympian of all time. Many athletes say they want to become the best at what they do, but that’s just it. It’s just words.

They aren’t willing to do what it takes to be the best. What’s the point in wanting something if you know you won’t do what’s necessary to get it. Brady and Phelps weren’t born the greatest of all time. No, they had to work for it. Simply being the best wasn’t good enough for them, and that is why they succeeded.
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When being good is not enough
Many athletes say they want it bad, but those same athletes are fine with just being good. That’s when you have to ask yourself, “Why do it then?” Why spend so much time and energy perfecting a particular skill if you are fine with just being good. You have to be willing to do something today that will make you better tomorrow. Don’t settle for being one of the “good” ones. To reach the top, you have to go the extra mile.

When being better is not enough
You are doing something now to make you better tomorrow. You are beating your competition more consistently. You are better than you used to be. You can see yourself improving and you love it. However, this is not the time to stop. So many athletes significantly get better every day. They are destroying their best times. They are killing it in practice every day. The people they used to see as competition are gone now. They settled for being simply better than those around them, because that’s where they got all the attention. At the end, that was good enough for them. Eventually, they will stop progressing and won’t understand why.

This is the phase when you need to stay humble. Show up to practice as if you are the underdog. There will always be someone for you to beat. Practice being that person. The person that everyone wants to beat. You are never too good to take it easy during practice. Always practice beating the best, not beating the rest.

When being the best is not enough
This is when you exactly know where you want to be in life, and you are willing to do whatever it takes to get yourself there. The great Thomas Jefferson said it best, “If you want something you’ve never had, you have to do something you’ve never done.” If you want something so bad that you are willing to do everything in your power to get it, then you will be successful. If being the best is not good enough for you, then you will continue to grow and improve. That is the ultimate goal in life. To realize that even being the best is not good enough. You can’t stop working hard just because you are the best now. You have to keep on pushing.
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Matthew McConaughey said one of the greatest things when he won his Oscar, “Your hero needs to be you in 10 years. After 10 years, your hero is still you in 10 years. That gives you someone to always keep on chasing.” Don’t worry about what those around you are doing. They are working hard so they can beat you. You need to be working hard so you can beat yourself. You see, when you compete against other people, you get stuck on their level. However, once you realize you are your only and greatest competition, that is when you start moving forward. You won’t ever beat yourself and that is the beauty of it. It forces you to keep working hard and in doing so, you move forward. NEVER LET IT REST! 

Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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There are too many people out there today who deeply regret some decisions they have made. They believe that if only they had chosen differently, everything would’ve worked out for the better. How many of you out there have had a moment in your lives when you thought, “What if I had done this instead?” or “If only I did this one thing differently, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now…” I know I have. How different would your life have been if you had made better decisions? What if every decision you made was one that took you closer to your dream life? Is that even possible? Well, that is exactly what this post is about.

We all have that one big goal in life. That one dream that overshadows it all. These dreams come in different shapes and sizes. Some of us dream of winning Olympic gold one day, while others dream of the opportunity to simply take part in the Olympics. There’s nothing wrong with having a different dream than someone else. The only thing that matters is whether you do everything you can and more to make that dream a reality. The sad part about this reality is that the moment things get tough, we start slacking off or even quit altogether. Most of the time, this is an unconscious decision, because that is how our bodies are wired. Your body lets you know that it is in immense pain and can’t go any further. It is letting you know that you should stop now before you get hurt. That is when you have to realize what you are made of and how much you are truly capable of achieving.

What if I told you that you would be an Olympic gold medalist one day, and that is a fact. All you have to do to achieve this is outwork everyone at practice. Would you slack off or quit the moment things start getting harder? No, of course you won’t, because you know what the outcome is going to be. Suddenly, you’ll find yourself pushing past every single limit that you’ve ever had and realize that you are capable of achieving the impossible. Why are you able to train at a much higher level now than you have before? The answer is simple. You aren’t. You see, it’s not a brand-new ability that fell out of the sky and landed right in front of you. No, you’ve always had this ability. It has always been inside you, waiting to be unleashed. Your change in perspective is what brought it out into the open.

Don’t go through life thinking, “what if..”, go out there and do what you have to do today. Don’t wait. Every second you wait is a second wasted. Don’t say you’ll start tomorrow. Tomorrow becomes next week, next week becomes next month and so on. Eventually, you will find yourself in a place where you ask, “What if I had started back then? Where would I have been today?” So go out there and outwork every single one of your teammates. Make every second count. Don’t be one of the many unsuccessful people out there who never realized their true potential.

​Every day, focus on one thing at a time. Don’t try to multitask; it distracts you from what is important. Always remember that you can do anything you set your mind to, but you can’t do everything. You are capable of great things. It’s true. You have to believe it too. The moment it starts to get tough, I want you to remember two things. Remember why you started in the first place and remember where it will take you. Don’t let yourself fall into the “what if” trap. 

​Hi there and welcome to my first blog post. Let’s get right into it. Everyone endures some sort of physical labor in their everyday lives. Whether you are an athlete who is in the weight room and the practice field day-in and day-out or have a desk job that works for hours without rest. Physical labor might come in different shapes and sizes.

We all know the importance of physical ability when it comes to performing. Yet, there is one thing that we all need to perform that way we are supposed to. We’ll get to that in a second. First, let me tell you something about myself. I have been athlete for most of my life now and have always put great importance on my physical condition. The better condition your body is on the better you will perform, right?

Well, that's a tricky question. As important as it is to be in exceptional shape to be able to perform at your best, it is only about 50% of what maximizes your performance. And now we get to the part you have all been waiting for. What is that one thing that we all need to perform at our best? It makes up the other 50% of your performance ability. It is a little something called, mental strength and I’ll explain where this comes in a little bit later on in the post.

We are fortunate enough to live in a world full of great accomplishments. We have the ability to communicate with anyone from anywhere in the world. That is in fact, how I am communicating with you right now. However, all these amazing accomplishments would not have been possible if we didn’t have dreamers. You see, for something to come into existence, you need an idea or a dream. That dream is a goal you would like to accomplish one day. We all have dreams and we would all like to make those dreams a reality. The bigger you dream, the more work it will take to make it a reality, but it is never impossible.

​The most successful people in the world didn’t get to where they are today through chance. They had huge, almost impossible dreams which they made a reality through hard work and dedication. Let’s take Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, for example. He was a college drop-out and co-owner of a failed business. Yet, he never stopped chasing his dreams and today he is one of the most influential and successful businessmen in the world. Another great example is Albert Einstein. When he was younger he was unable to speak fluently which led to his teachers thinking he was slow. Did he let that get to him fulfilling his dreams? Heck no, of course not! He is seen as one of the greatest scientists and smartest people to have ever lived. Can you imagine if these people allowed others and their inner selves to influence them negatively? How different and boring would our world be without dreamers? No technological advances, no cars, no going to the grocery store to buy food for the week. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon and richest man in the world, used to work at McDonald's when he was younger. Instead of slacking off during holiday times, he used to work on improving his company. This has led to him becoming the richest man in the world today. Some of his closest friends thought he was crazy and would never succeed, but he didn't let that stop him from becoming one of the most successful men in the world. The biggest difference between successful and unsuccessful people is attitude. Some say they can't, while others say they can. Both are absolutely right. It's all about your perspective on what is possible.

They have found a way to make their dreams a reality and they were most certainly not successful on their first try. They weren’t afraid to fail. We have to realize that there is no shame in failing. The only way to succeed, is through failing. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player to ever step foot on the court, is an amazing example of someone who wasn’t afraid to fail. He said: “I have missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I have failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” If you want to be successful in life, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes to make that dream a reality. It might take hours, days or even years for you to be able to sit back knowing that you have accomplished everything you ever dreamed of. You might not get it on the first try, you might not get it on the second try. Heck, you might not even get it on the 100th try. You just have to keep on pushing.

I cannot guarantee you will make all your dreams come true. The road to success is a long road with many twists and turns and even more obstacles. It's not supposed to be easy, otherwise everyone would do it. I want to leave you with one very important thought. Remember, if you stop trying you will never succeed. But, if you get back up every time you fall, you become stronger and stronger mentally. Life is like a tennis match. If you don’t get the ball over the net, you have no chance of winning. Yet, every time you do get the ball over the net, your chances of winning gets better and better a little bit at a time. Don’t ever give up on pursuing your dreams, no matter how many times you fail. You will fail, but that is after all the way to success.

​Dream. Dare. Succeed.

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