I can honestly say it’s been inspiring watching the Beijing Olympics this year. The best results Great Britain have had in over a hundred years. It’s been inspiring.

But whilst watching the Olympics coverage over the last two weeks, it set me to wondering…

What is it that gives these Gold Medallists the ability to exceed and outperform all the other athletes, especially when ALL of the athletes are at their peak?

What specifically is it that makes Michael Phelps win eight gold medals in as many days? Not only that, but also breaking 7 World Records and 1 Olympic Record at the same time?

What is it that gives Chris Hoy the drive to win 3 gold medals and become the first British Olympian for 100 years to claim three Golds at one games?

What’s so special about Rebecca Adlington that allows her to take 2 Golds and break one of Swimming’s longest standing world records – 800 metres freestyle – which hadn’t been broken for 18 years?

For me it comes down to four things:

  1. A deep-seated desire to be the best
  2. Extreme focus on the end result
  3. Continuously seeking ways to do better
  4. And pure determination never to give up

The very same qualities exhibited by the most successful business owners.

And here’s why…

To be truly successful at what you do, you need to WANT to be the best. It is this desire that will give you the drive and motivation to set, follow and achieve your goals. As my old Maths Teacher once said to me “You will only ever be as good as you want to be” (I hated maths) – and he was right.

Once you know where you are going, you need to be able to focus with laser-like accuracy to achieve those goals – even when things don’t seem to be going in the way you expect. It’s having the ability to come back on course and MAKING things happen.

Next you need to be constantly looking at ways to improve your processes – all of them – but especially your marketing. Always seeking to do things better, faster or more efficiently, getting better responses from everything you do.

Finally, you need a firm resolve NEVER to give up – regardless of what happens.

In the [often misquoted] words of (Sir) Winston Churchill when he spoke at Harrow School, 29 October 1941

“This is the lesson: never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy.”

Just look at Michael Phelps – 8 Gold Medals at one Olympic Games …

… pure single-minded determination to be the best at what he does – swimming. And does he achieve it? You bet he does.

Things don’t go right for you all the time, regardless of how well you think you prepare, but to be truly the best you can, you can’t be the type of person who throws the towel in at the first time of hardship.

Did you know that it’s a fact that almost all successful people have either been, or nearly been bankrupt at least once before they truly make it? But they keep going anyway.

Whilst Olympic Gold might well be unlikely for the majority of us, if you keep these 4 things in your focus and you won’t be able to help but be the best at what you do!

Now, onwards…

… to your success!

Jez

P.S. And let’s hope we do really well in the next Olympic Games in London in 2012!