True Michael Phelps is a great athlete, he has established a world record in gaining 8 gold medals at the same event. For me perhaps more than being an outstanding sportsman, he shows us the determination to target a goal and diligently and relentlessly work towards it. You will all recall than before the events he had declared his goal publicly and he made it. Bravo!

On good morning America yesterday:

Question to Phelps:
“What do you think separates the people who are merely gifted from those like you who in this instance, won?”

Phelps’ answer:
“For me when I watch other sports, when I watch Tiger Woods, when I watch [tennis player] Roger Federer, when I watch [tennis player] Rafael Nadal, the best athletes can compete under any circumstances. No matter what it is, no matter what the pressure, you can always overcome whatever is put in your way.”

Notice that he didn’t say “Superior conditioning”, or “I worked harder than everyone else”. In fact, here’s what Bob Bowman, Michael’s coach said on a completely different interview:

“It’s Michael’s ability to handle anything that comes up and turn it into something good.”

Bill Bartman wrote:
I bring up these quotes now because they’re just as applicable for a small business owner in Idaho as for an Olympic swimmer in Beijing. They’re universal truths of the hyper-successful in sports, business–and in life.

I almost forgot about my Good Morning America taping session as I sat there thinking about what Michael Phelps said. It resonated with my own experience of being a paralyzed 17-year old alcoholic. The same person who defied the medical establishment and not only later walked, but straightened his life out to the tune of becoming a self-made billionaire.

The difference between where you are right this moment, and achieving your wildest dreams may only be a matter of a handful of key shifts in your thinking. I know it’s true with me. I didn’t become literally 1,000 times more successful than millionaires by working 1,000 times as hard. I worked differently.

‘The difference that makes the difference’ is the nlp phrase that comes to my mind.

His physique notwithstanding, endurance may be Michael’s single greatest asset. He’s able to hold his stroke under pressure and when fatigue begins to creep in. From a mind over matter standpoint, Michael is also off the charts. His ability to relax, focus and block out the pain all at once is unique in his sport. He never seems nervous before a race, yet his intensity on the starting block is unmatched.