All Olympians Have One, Do You?

Our problems are only as big as who we know.

Nobody wants to be bored, lazy, or under the weather… especially for a long time.

Everyone wants to experience enjoyment, meaning, and satisfaction… especially alongside others.

I had a best friend who believed in me and I did not have the heart to let him down.

– Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President

For every Olympic Games, 195 sovereign countries (206 National Olympic Committees including regions such as Hong Kong and Puerto Rico) send their best athletes to compete for medals. The Summer Olympics draws roughly 11,000 athletes, whereas the Winter Olympics invites only 3,000. Alongside an insatiable work ethic, each Olympian has one thing in common. Size and total population does not matter — from Liechtenstein, San Marino, or Somalia to the United States, France, or Japan — each Olympian has something to accompany his or her dream. Each and every Olympian has a coach.

Not a horse-drawn carriage nor a railroad car.

A passionate and dedicated person who loves them.

A passionate and dedicated person who loves them through easy and hard training sessions, through trials and tribulations, through incredible successes and tremendous failures.

Coach: a passionate and dedicated person who unlocks potential and maximizes performance through consistent belief, challenge, encouragement.

Similar to leading, parenting, and teaching, coaching is the most difficult and time-consuming profession in the world. When done well, wellness ripples far beyond imagination. Terrible coaching causes doubt; great coaching creates belief.

It only takes one person in an individual’s life to radically transform his or her mindset.

It only takes one person who is willing eager to call forth the best parts of him or her.

It only takes one coach who says, “I believe in you and I believe in who you could be. I see you and I see who you could be. I love you now and I love who you could be,” for athletes to put forth an effort even they did not know they possessed within themselves.

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Actions and aspirations, they must align. There are few things sadder than athletes whose actions are greater than their own aspirations. This looks like a relentless motor without a chassis, a dream and a direction. There are few things more common than athletes whose actions do not meet the required standards for their ambitious aspirations. This looks like a charlatan who speaks of what he or she will do one day. Olympians, similar to high performers across various industries, talk about what they have done, not what they will one day maybe do.

It’s possible to not know what true, hard work feels and looks like. It’s probable individuals compare themselves to the people they see every day rather than those closest to their goals. It’s inevitable a great coach helps individuals see themselves and the world around them from a different, improved vantage point.

If you look around and see four pigeons… that does not make you the one eagle. That makes you the fifth pigeon.

– Michael Spence, motivational speaker

In reality, what is our cruising altitude?

What are our eating, exercising, and sleeping habits?

What do those in our inner circle consistently do, view, and value?

A lukewarm lifestyle leaks little laughter and reward. A vague vision makes wandering easy. An excuse-filled existence opposes tools to thrive: courage, humility, and persistence.

That’s why congruent, knowledgeable coaches change lives. They provide accountability with understanding. They question current behaviors with loving intentions. They offer inspiration, guidance, and empowerment through authentic leadership and challenging communication.

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"Good timber does not grow with ease; the stronger the wind, the stronger the trees.”

Who is the wind in your sails? Who helps you plot a course for your future? Who could, should, and would you rely upon when life’s inevitable storms rock your boat and tempt your values?

10 characteristics of great coaches. They:

1. Achieved success in a given field
2. Put tens of thousands of hours into their craft
3. Learned from a great coach
4. Experienced multiple failures
5. Gained perspective from those failures
6. Ask questions with curiosity & listen with humility
7. Consistently challenge & constantly encourage
8. Generously give their energy, knowledge, & time
9. Admire who you are — from scars to stars
10. Love the craft; love to grow more; love you most

Someone who is wise knows the next right thing to do. Why go through more personal negative experiences than absolutely necessary? Someone out there already has answers to life’s tests. Wisdom is not found in a textbook. Wisdom is not attained through hedonic happiness. Wisdom is gathered from a great coach.

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During my Junior Year at Yale University, I reached an athletic peak. I was 200lbs. I was completing at least two workouts per day. I was given an award for superior strength and conditioning by my lacrosse coaches and teammates; however, I felt stagnant within.

This was around the same time I first came across “Matthew 7:7” in the Bible. Rather than continuing to do extra exercises on my own, I reached out to ask for help. I wondered, not wandered, who could help me transform my perceived peak into a mere plateau…

Several weeks later, I found myself inside one-on-one training sessions with a sport science coach and a mental performance coach. Within a few months, I was over 210lbs and faster than I was before. Within less than a year, I learned the ins-and-outs of sport psychology, relaxation, and how to accomplish more growth with less stress.

My bigger body, calmer mind, and enthused spirit ignited me to higher summits. I received All-American recognition, which I had previously thought was out of reach. I was drafted to play professional lacrosse; and a decade later, I became a mental performance coach for others — best positioned to help a person similar to the individual I once was, doubting instead of believing.

Last week, I recorded a podcast with that same, brilliant sport science coach from Yale, Thomas Newman. I thanked him for believing in me. I thanked him for the early mornings, deep conversations, and late nights. I thanked him for challenging me, encouraging me, and loving who I could be.

A spark of interest became a roaring blaze!

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We need others.

We crave love.

We deserve a coach.

If we think it will be hard to find a great coach, imagine one day competing against someone who has one when we don’t.

Call to Action: Find a coach. Seek a person with incredible experience, similar interests, and kind capacity. Tenaciously approach him or her with a deep desire to learn, evolve, and grow.

What? You, too? I thought I was the only one.

– C.S. Lewis

To compete means to strive together.

Not alone, TOGETHER.

Alongside a great coach, we discover and develop our greatness. 

— MG

🎙️Click here to listen to Mark Glicini’s monthly episodes of his podcast, GRATEFUL and Full of Greatness.