Well as most of you know (and if you don’t WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!), I’ve just jetted back from the most magical time in Montreal at the World Sprint Triathlon Championships. We had a blast and I learnt several things:
1. It doesn’t matter how big the truck is, it matters how big the road is…
2. Ice-cream is still the best food post-race.
3. Montreal airport is a shit-show.
4. It is mainly a matter of luck as to whether or not your baggage arrives on the same plane as you these days.
5. I really like going round corners fast on my bike.
But I also had a chance to reflect on my triathlon – and coaching – journey and think about where I am now – which I’ll admit, still seems a bit mad given I was the nerdy “un-sporty” kid at school!
When I started out in triathlon, it was all about the physical and mental challenge of seeing how far I could go. Later it became more focused on how fast I could go and here we are, a couple of GB suits in the wardrobe and a good few bikes in the stable…
When I talk to people about where I’ve been and what I’ve been up to, there are a couple of common responses:
1. “Will you be at the Olympics next then?”
2. “Wow! Well done! That’s amazing!”
I always laugh awkwardly at the first one as I explain I am merely doing the best I can while holding down a business, a part time dental career, a boyfriend, a dog, a tortoise, a rabbit and all the sets of parents we have and that no, I probably won’t be on the telly any time soon. Which usually causes an awkward pause while people try to work out exactly what “World Championships” means if it isn’t the Olympics.
But the second one. The second one is a strange one for me, because I’m massively proud of what I’ve achieved. I’ve got a “full wanker tracksuit” (the loving nickname we give to the unmistakable bright blue kit adorning all age group athletes who like to make it very clear WE ARE IN TEAM GB in any public space, usually most commonly found in groups exchanging loud excuses about their upcoming and recently passed races) and I wear it with pride and I still wake up smiling thinking about all the little things I’ve ticked off my bucket list when it comes to triathlon (including the tipsy girls’ cycling “training camps”…perhaps one for another post…). But in equal measure, I don’t think what I’ve achieved is “amazing” or special. I don’t think it deserves a “wow!” or a “well done!”. I enjoy the praise, of course, but to me, it’s just the result of the planning and hard work I’ve put in over the years. It’s the result of focus and direction, consistently over time.
In fact that’s just it. My sponsor Richard Crawford-Small at the Aesthetic Entrepreneurs has an amazing set of values. He puts success in business down to the following three words:
Focus, Discipline, Consistency.
That’s all it’s been for me. I worked out what I wanted and had the COURAGE to go and follow it. I made a plan. I stayed focused. I followed the plan, CONSISTENTLY. And now we’re having a very different conversation to the one we’d have been having if you met me ten years ago.
And of course, success isn’t a destination, it’s a process. The thing I realised in Montreal was, that I LOVE the consistency, the focus, the discipline. It takes me to amazing places. It means I can set a goal and go and get it. I also realised that the end point wasn’t my goal, it’s everything around it. It’s not the race and crossing the finish line, it’s embracing the challenges that get me there, it’s meeting the people, it’s sharing the success of others.
I love that at an age group level, I get the chance to compete in my country’s colours and that more importantly, I might just inspire someone else to push themselves and try and go a little bit further, or a little bit faster. I’m not the fastest in the world. I’m not a record breaker. But I have found out more about myself than I ever thought I would when I started out on this journey. And that’s what it’s about. That’s what I try and get all my clients to do; don’t look at success as a destination or an end point, it’s about discovering who you are, what makes you tick and doing enough in your lifetime that you can look back and go “Yep! I gave life a bloody good ride!”
Now I’m off to launder my full wanker suit, I’ve got an airport to get to again soon and the chopper chat won’t sort itself.
If you’re feeling stoked and want to get stuck in to pushing your own boundaries, whatever field you’re in, check out the FREE Super Human scorecard and get started on your own self improvement journey today!