Good Morning Sunday: Michael Phelps – 21 Motivational Quotes from the Greatest Olympian

What does it take to win an Olympic Gold Medal ?
– Dedication, Passion, Determination, Discipline, Hard Work, Struggle, Failure, Attitude, Perseverance, Belief, Resilience, Focus, Sweat, Tears, Dream, Endurance, Patience, ….we can just go on and on.

And what does it take to win 18 Olympic Gold Medals ?

Michael Phelps is the Incredible Hulk of the Olympics, he became the most decorated Olympian in history during the 2012 London Games. He has won a total of 18 Gold medals and 3 bronze medals in the four Olympics that he has participated till date ( 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 ). A feat no other athlete has ever achieved or can come close to match.

What does it take to become the most decorated Olympian ?

Let’s learn a few lessons from Michael on Though, Motivation, Preparedness and Success and what does it take to become the most decorated Olympian

Michael Phelps on Preparation
1) “I would visualize the best- and worst-case scenarios. Whether I get disqualified or my goggles fill up with water or I lose my goggles or I come in last, I’m ready for anything.”

2) “It all starts with a goal.”

3) “You can’t put a limit on anything. The more you dream, the further you get.”

4) “I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything.”

5) “There were times I wouldn’t come to practice, because it didn’t excite me. It wasn’t interesting. I was kind of going through the motions.”

Michael Phelps on Dedication
6) “If you want to be the best, you have to do things that other people aren’t willing to do.”

7) “Being able to do something that’s never been done before, that’s what I’ve always wanted to do. . . . There was nothing that was going to stand in my way of being the first.”

8) “Swimming is normal for me. I’m relaxed. I’m comfortable, and I know my surroundings. It’s my home.”

9) “Every day after I wake up, I think, ‘Wait… this can’t be real; I’m still going to wake up.”

10) “I think goals should never be easy, they should force you to work, even if they are uncomfortable at the time.”

Michael Phelps on Diet
11) “I don’t have a strict diet. It’s all about cramming in as many calories into my system as I possibly can. To be honest with you, I have a tough time keeping weight on.”

Michael Phelps on Training
12) “When I race, I don’t think about it; it just happens.”

13) “I can’t remember the last day I didn’t train.”

14) “I feel most at home in the water. I disappear. That’s where I belong.”

15) “If I bring back only one gold people are going to say it’s a disappointment. But not too many of them own an Olympic gold medal so if I get one I’m going to be happy.”

16) “If I didn’t swim my best, I’d think about it at school, at dinner, with my friends. It would drive me crazy.”

17) “People say to me, ‘You’re so lucky. You get to see the world.’ But I don’t. I go to the hotel and to the pools and back again. That’s it.”

Michael Phelps on Though
18) “The more you dream the more you achieve.”

19) “This is my 20th year in the sport. I’ve known swimming and that’s it. I don’t want to swim past age 30; if I continue after this Olympics, and come back in 2016, I’ll be 31. I’m looking forward to being able to see the other side of the fence.”

20) “Nothing is impossible. With so many people saying it couldn’t be done, all it takes is an imagination.”

21) “I always thought, it would be neat to make the Olympic team”

Who do you think is the Greatest Olympian ? Have a Super Sunday and a Great Week Ahead