At the Olympics there is only one gold medal given in each event. In business we can all take a gold medal in what we do. The mindset around going for that Gold drives the athlete to perform above the average sports-minded person. In business there is an expectation that if you do what is expected of you then you can outperform and become successful. The bad news is, you have to perform like an Olympic athlete to out-perform the average. The good news is, you can do this!

The one thing that really struck home with me this Olympics was the shear effort that an athlete takes to get where they are in the standings. When Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, the Silver medalists for the free dance skating event and Gold medal winners from the 2010 Vancouver Olympics were interviewed after the event, Moir said they never thought about quitting after 2010. Actually what happened was they were so focused on the practice and competition and the routine of doing the work that got them to their Gold that they just continued entering competitions and preparing.

In business after we have a ‘win’ what will often happen is a time to recover and relax, but that is not what will put you in the lead. It’s not about doing it great once, it is about doing it great over and over. It took many wins for athletes to just get to the Olympics. It takes many wins for a great business to get beyond good. It is the consistency of your effort, not the effort alone.

1. Keep Creating

Keep creating new competitions for your business to be part of. In fact, book several of them over the next year. Whether it is a sale, marketing campaign, charity event, speaking opportunity, or your own program, have something in the pipeline that you are always working towards.

2. Be Consistent

Be consistent with your effort. Every event will require the same amount of effort as your best effort can provide. To be great you have to perform great all the time.

3. Believe

Don’t let anyone tell you it cannot be done. After all what are the odds an athlete that is good can get to the Olympics and then what are the odds they will get gold? If they gave up on the belief of their own ability then they lost before they started.

Have faith in what you can do. Daily effort, a focused goal, regular investment in ‘the new’, and a team of people that can help you get where you want is what I’m taking away from the Olympics this year.