Let's Learn From The Olympians

Prompt: A reflection on how the discipline and focus demonstrated by Olympic athletes in Paris inspires you to stay committed to your goals and priorities.

As I watched the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympics yesterday, I was gripped with the same excitement, enthusiasm and anticipation as I was during my childhood. you

It reminded me of my younger years, and I mean my proper younger years as a child, way before I was even a teenager.

In fact, just as the ceremony started I even posted

Omg! The Olympics. The excitement. The energy,

There's something about that anticipation, the years of training, the mental and physical preparation, for so many of those around the world, taking part in competing in the Olympics, there have been lifestyle changes, choices made, things missed just to get there, be selected and then be on the boat in Paris,

There are various other actionable parts that we don't always get to appreciate or see behind the scenes.

It was with some curiosity and interest to me that some people have already voiced that the Olympics opening ceremony was fairly underwhelming.

This morning, in my weekly writing room (hosted by Jenny Garrett OBE ), we were prompted to write about the Olympics and reflect on the discipline and focus demonstrated by Olympians.

I jumped at the chance of writing about this topic, because whilst we're inspired and committed to our endeavours in many areas of our lives, I felt like this prompt was a call, was an action for us to take a deeper dive in how we can further our own endeavours. Let's face it, life can be so distracting at times.

This week alone, I was interviewed for a forthcoming podcast where the host Steph Edusei had asked me a question about a current visibility sprint I’m taking part in. It was with my tongue firmly in my cheek that I responded that actually it was less sprint, more marathon.

I don't know whether the segment where I spoke about that will make the final cut, but do reflect that in another interview situation recently, I was discussing the journey on my now second time of a 365 day visibility mission, this time it’s on livestream and video.

As I tie my work in together with the Olympians, their focus, their determination, their goals, their aspirations, their ambitions. I realise that there is quite the synergy between my quest to help other people to be visible, or to be even more visible, depending on where they sit on the sliding scale.

That’s why people often think that visibility is easy, it’s a case of just do it or just pushing yourself.

But when I look back and connect the dots of my own life journey, visibility has been something I've been in training for for much of my life. I would say my whole life, it feels very purpose driven so often when I speak to audiences, when I train, coach, mentor, or generally talk about the subject of visibility, I've been told on so many occasions that I make it sound so easy, I make it look so easy.

As I reflected on the other three-six-fivers, the people who have committed alongside me and others to show up, to be more visible, and to do it consistently over a 365 day period in whichever way they've set out to do. I'm sure they will confirm that it isn't the easiest thing to do. Yet, again I'm told I make it look easy.

The truth is that consistent visibility is hard, and whilst I'd never compare myself to those hard working Olympians before today, the training they put in, the focus they put in, the blood, sweat and tears they obviously go through, this visibility work definitely runs along similar lines.

Allow me to explain.

The biggest misconception about the work of being visible, is that many people assume that in order to jump in and do this work, that you have to either;

A. Be invisible

B. Not have much confidence

C? Do it because you absolutely need to

Now, much of this may be true in some circumstances, yet in many of the people that I have worked with over the years, they are confident, but just not in this area,

They are visible, but are looking to reach new audiences, new people sometimes to pivot, other times to have even more impact in the world with the work that they do.

For many of them, they absolutely don't need to be visible, they want to, so let's have a look at these Olympians.

Imagine that you are a high performance athlete.

You run 100 meters, 200 meters, you've been training to do this, likely, since you were a child, and then, through one thing or another, discover that you're also great at something like a shot put, and instead of combining your skills together, you decide to harness to focus on becoming the best shot putting version of you.

You train every day. Some of those days might involve waking up really early, leaving the family at home, going somewhere where you can practice, be coached, be mentored to learn new techniques.

Your focus could even be to learn ways to battle the mind Gremlins that try to stop you.

Perhaps your thing is improving your technique, leveraging what you can already do, and doing even more of it so that you're stronger, faster, more honed.

To me, visibility is totally like this, whether you're camera shy or camera confident, whether you shine from a stage or stutter and splutter your way through. Whether you feel like being online and sharing your work is just too much of a stretch for you, or being online and sharing consistently feels like the stretch that you've always needed to do.

In all of those things, visibility is the glue.

So I celebrate those 200 countries, cruising down the river Seine, the looks of glee, the flag waving dances of delight, the anticipation, the excitement of what's to come, because they know that behind the scenes, they've done the work, they put in the work.

Remember that some others didn't make it to that point.

Perhaps they were injured, perhaps they didn't train enough, perhaps they didn't meet the expectations they thought they would. Perhaps the standards were just too high. Perhaps they didn't even get the opportunity to apply. Perhaps, sadly, they simply felt they were no good.

In anything we do, the blood, sweat and tears aren't always evident. Some get to show it when they kiss that medal on the podium, and others get to turn it around their mind as something they wish they had continued to do. Others get to step back, retire and leave on a high.

I got to reflect this morning on what it actually takes or took for me to make visibility look so easy for you to do.

I wrangled with how to be seen. I wondered whether my voice was being heard.

Sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't. I learned the things I needed to, I helped others to get to the places that they wanted to.

Often it was difficult. Sometimes I wanted to give up too.

In those moments, this is where the rubber meets the road, the mindset kicks in, the place to really look at, the place to revisit and reflect on what had you do this in the first place. The point to start from, when moving forward, when things get tough, when you're left wondering why, and the place to remember that when people trust you, to show them what you know, and how to do.

To each and every one of those who are running their way, pushing their way, diving their way, swimming their way, lifting their way, surfing their way, and moving their way through.

To you dear reader, every one of the Olympians, their coaches, their mentors and their heroes, I salute each and every one of you.

*PS Since writing this, it seems that a deeper dive was a lucky analogy because Team GB won a medal on day one, the first in over 60 years!

Who is Jenny Kovacs Visibility Specialist ?

Jenny Kovacs, is a Visibility Specialist, known as the Queen of Being Seen, is a well-regarded speaker, mentor, coach, trainer and businesswoman.

Jenny has regularly appeared on the BBC throughout the UK and speaks on the topic of professional visibility both nationally and internationally.

Creator of the Visibility VIBES? Activator System, Jenny’s five key pillars show you ways to be visible, and how to raise your professional profile.

Jenny’s trainings and talks have spanned well known corporations, brands, companies and been delivered to 1000’s of clients delivered worldwide, both in person and online and cover the mindset, tools and practical tools to having your work be seen without feeling like a show off.