In a Nutshell: For a professional athlete, the difference between first and second place can be as slim — and as heartbreaking — as one tenth of a second. In business, sometimes it can feel like your margin for error is every bit as narrow. But in any profession, it’s how we respond to setbacks and set our sights on new challenges that keeps us growing, progressing, and redefining what success really means.
Guest: Lauryn Williams, the first American woman to medal in both the Summer and Winter Olympic games. Lauryn founded Worth Winning, an advisory firm focused on helping young professionals get the financial advice she wishes she had received during her athletic career.
My Key Takeaways:
- Talent only goes so far. It’s what you do with what you have that determines how far you go in business and life.
- Mentorship is powerful. Lauryn says her initial goal wasn’t to win Olympic gold, it was to repay the college coach who believed in her. Find people who push you to be your best as well as raw talent you can help nurture and inspire.
- Resilience is a decision. Even in the most difficult situations, we’re never powerless to choose how we react and how we adapt going forward.
Also Learn:
- How Lauryn’s “24-hour pity parties” helped her move past some major disappointments and refocus on the next goal.
- The strategies Lauryn used to balance her individual performance with the demands of competing in team sports.
- What differences Lauryn saw between the world-class athletes who succeeded and those who never lived up to their potential.
Complementary blog post: Dr. Barbara Meyer, director of the Laboratory for Sports Psychology and Performance Excellence at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee, talked to me about how to prepare mentally for a peak performance in any profession. Listen/read here.
Resources Featured In This Episode
Values Clarification Toolkit Click here to download this FREE tool and start living your values.
