Day: Mar 11, 2019

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps is a case study of selected discipline.

When he was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder ) as a child, his kindergarten teacher told his mother,
“Michael can’t sit still. Michael can’t be quiet… . He’s not gifted. Your son will never be able to focus on anything.”
Bob Bowman, his coach since age 11, reports that Michael spent a lot of time on the side of the pool by the lifeguard stand for disruptive behavior. That same misbehavior has cropped up
from time to time in his adult life as well.
Yet, he’s set dozens of world records.

In 2004 he won six gold and two bronze medals in Athens and then, in 2008, a record eight in
Beijing, surpassing the legendary Mark Spitz. His 18 gold medals set a record for Olympians in any sport. Before he hung up his goggles in retirement, his wins at the 2012 London Olympic Games brought his total medal count to 22 and earned him the status of most-decorated Olympian in any sport in history.

Today, his mom reports, “Michael’s ability to focus amazes me.” Bowman calls it “his strongest attribute.” How did this happen? How did the boy who would “never be able to focus on anything” achieve so much?
Phelps became a person of selected discipline.

From age 14 through the Beijing Olympics, Phelps trained seven days a week, 365 days a year. He figured that by training on Sundays he got a 52-training-day advantage on the competition.

He spent up to six hours in the water each day. “Channeling his energy is one of his great strengths,” said Bowman. Not to oversimplify, but it’s not a stretch to say that Phelps channeled all of his energy into one discipline that developed into one habit—swimming daily.

Your life gets clearer and less complicated because you know what you have to do well and you know what you don’t.

Give each habit enough time. Stick with the discipline long enough for it to become routine. Habits, on average, take 66 days to form. Once a habit is solidly established, you can either build on that habit or, if appropriate, build another one.
A Lesson to learn from the celebrated swimmer of our age and time, and beyond. Excrepts from the book “THE ONE THING_Gary Keller