Without motivation, the career of any athlete is doomed to failure. This applies to hobbyists as well, and not just those who dedicate their lives to it. An unmotivated person has no energy or conviction to achieve his goals.
Motivation is nothing more than an internal or external stimulation for a person to act in a certain way. In the athlete, it can be seen reflected in his intensity to train, in his concentration when competing, and in the permanent search for improvement.
It is clear that the most outstanding athletes, including those that we will mention in this article, reached the top due to their technical conditions and their innate talent. However, they themselves assure that the psychological component was elementary in such a journey. Know the opinion of professionals.
Motivation according to Michael Phelps
The 'Baltimore Shark', nothing more and nothing less than the most successful athlete in the history of the Olympic Games is a benchmark when it comes to sporting success. According to Phelps' own words at a business event, his dream and criticism of him have been two of the main sources of motivation for him.
That superlative desire is clear and is similar to what every swimmer with an online lifeguard class has: to succeed in the Olympic Games and win medals. The difference is that Michael Phelps achieved it from a young age (and in amounts never before imagined).
Likewise, Ian Thorpe's criticism, which would come to represent the 'external seasoning' in this motivational cocktail, served for Phelps to have someone to prove to him that he was wrong.
If you say 'I can't' you will be limiting yourself in what you can do or what you will be able to do someday.
In this way, he achieved what his colleague considered impossible: he won 8 Olympic medals and triumphed in that sport at over 30 years of age. Without a doubt, a sample of what motivation can generate in an athlete of similar conditions.
Mireia Belmonte is a swimmer who faces everything
If we tried to think of a major problem for any swimmer, 'suffering from an allergy to chlorine would be one of the most unexpected answers. However, this was the case of Mireia Belmonte, today's Olympic, world, and European champion.
And not only that, but this Spanish swimmer also had to face her asthmatic condition during childhood. With all this, practicing a sport like swimming really seemed like a feat. Thanks to the need to treat scoliosis, this very fruitful relationship took place.
However, Belmonte focused on pursuing his dreams and at just 17 years old he already managed to be part of the Spanish team for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
In addition, Mireia points out that the hunger to improve is fundamental, since “everyone wants to win because it is addictive”. Another curious fact is that she usually sings while swimming, something that she assures gives her motivation when training and giving her all.
You always have to work and you don't have to give up. By working and with the goal in mind, the reward awaits you.
Ian Thorpe, a 'victim' of lack of motivation
If we talk about motivation in sport, Thorpe's is an exceptional case. This Australian swimmer won five gold medals in the Olympic Games, in addition to achieving various world titles and records in swimming.
However, he made the drastic decision to end his career at just 24 years of age. The motives? In addition to some injuries that harassed him in 2006 and an alleged adverse result in his blood testosterone levels, which was appealed by other anonymous Australian athletes, the 'Torpedo' alleged 'lack of motivation to continue competing.
Thorpe declared at the time that media pressure, the invasion of his private life, and public exposure consumed his energy to continue being linked to the world of sports. Thus, when it seemed that his career would have no ceiling, he himself decided to set that limit.
We can draw a clear lesson from all this: motivation can be the ideal fuel for an athlete, but if it is lost, it is difficult to put all the effort into achieving the goals set.
In addition to these, we could list many other cases of swimmers who used motivation to their advantage and also of those who suffered from its lack. As we can see, this is an essential issue. Stay motivated to go for your goals!
0 Comments