Feel like a failure? An Olympian shares why losing can be the ultimate teacher
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Feel like a failure? An Olympian shares why losing can be the ultimate teacher

Olympian Michael Klim knows what it is to be the world’s best. No one had ever swum the 100m butterfly as fast as he did. And the next person to slice out of the water and break the record? It was him, again.

Winning gold for his country, however, did not define him. It was defeat.

“As a kid, I learned that you're not going to win every single race,” he tells LinkedIn. “It's a bit of a cliche, but in life, our biggest lessons come from adversity and for me, that was exactly what happened in 1996.

“I went into the Olympic games, ranked number one in the world, and was expected to win gold and failed and didn’t make the final."

“For me, I made so many drastic changes after that event, which then led me to become a world champion and an Olympic champion. Adversity can make those changes.”

As the founder of skincare brand Milk And Co, he recognises 2020 has dashed dreams for many individuals and businesses but that those same forces could be the start of something grand.

“I've noticed that big stores have rationalised their offerings and minimised risk and I think it's the opposite for small businesses.

“Small businesses are really looking outside the square, at how they can connect with the customers and connect with their audience.

“While the biggest players are being safe, the small business owners are taking bigger risks and trying to make a pivot work.”

He says there’s also a stronger community among business owners.

“I've noticed there's a lot more support when it comes to shopping local. I think local businesses are supporting each other a lot more. I've noticed a lot of businesses innovating outside of the core business. I've seen cafes that are now delivering beans and food. That pivot that everyone's talked about, I think it's been inevitable.”

So how can you channel an Olympic level of focus to your job hunt or business idea?

“I think that relentless pursuit in sport is very similar to business where there's a lot of ups and downs. In sport, there's a lot of disappointment and overcoming adversity. I think I got used to waking up the next day and getting on with it. It's something that really put me in good stead.”

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Mathew Lawton

Production Longhole Driller, Experienced U/G Miner.

3 年

Thanks for posting, I just posted a similar article on my page

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Pauline Dean BA Hons, PGCE, EYPS, DIP, ALA, CBA

Senior Lead Advisor/Teacher @ London Borough of Hackney | Management Team

3 年

Failure, if used as a learning curve, is an excellent teacher!

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Mary Rose van Kesteren

Community Builder, Advocate for the oneness of humanity, Senior Consultant - Regulatory, Finance, Audit, Patient Partner and Consultant - Research

3 年

learning to celebrate and learn from my failures

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Enrique Flores

Lead Project Manager at SP Renewables

3 年

The only failure is when we fail to learn.

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