5 Olympic Lessons for Ambitious Entrepreneurs and Leaders S5E13

The world just witnessed weeks of some of the best athletes sharing their gifts and talents. In today's episode, I am sharing five lessons we can take away from watching these elite competitors. Becoming a world-class athlete takes a lot of dedication, practicing fundamentals, and working with coaches. We can apply these exact principles to finding your calling and building a meaningful career.

In This Episode, you'll learn: 

5 lessons from Olympic athletes you can apply to your career and life:

• Know your strengths and build from them
• Success is easier when you actually enjoy what you do
• Why support, coaching, and community matter
• The mindset work required for meaningful change
• Hustling harder doesn’t guarantee success — positioning does

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Transcript

Sheri Miter 0:00

The world just witnessed two weeks of some of the best athletes in the world sharing their gifts and talents. And in today's episode, you're gonna hear five lessons we can take away from watching these athletes. Lessons you can use to create a career in life you actually love. Let's jump into this episode. Welcome to the Discovering Your Calling podcast. I'm your host, Sherry Miter. I'm here to help you unleash your strengths and get clarity on your calling. I believe when you find your purpose in life, fulfillment, joy, and success will follow. If you're ready, pop in those earbuds, hit that follow button, and join me on this journey toward discovering your calling. So as I shared, the Winter Olympics just finished up all over the world. I was about to say the United States, but this is global. Um, and it was such a beautiful Olympics this year. I so enjoyed it. And I will say that the Winter Olympics are definitely a favorite in the miter household. And we're a little prejudiced because not only do we love the backstories of the athletes and of course seeing them get back up after they've had some loss and or those moments when they nail it and they bring home the medal. And we're particularly fond of the Winter Olympics also because our youngest son, though his Olympic dream never came to pass, he was part of the USA skeleton team. So, like the Bobsled, he was the one you go down on your belly head first. Um, and he did that for several years as a young adult. And it's because of this that we got to see firsthand and hear his experiences of the work that goes into simply pursuing that level of excellence, the countless hours of training, all the practicing of the fundamentals, working with so many different coaches, and of course, strengthening his body and his mind. And, you know, becoming a world-class athlete takes a lot of dedication and hard work. We all know that. And then it's also about hoping and praying you perform at your peak at the right time. And watching the Olympics just always reminds me how much we can learn from elite athletes. And not just about sports and the dedication that goes into becoming that level of an athlete, but about building a meaningful career in life. And we can take these lessons and apply it to our own life so that we can live the best life possible. And I've narrowed down all the different lessons I could have talked about today to five that I want to share with you today that I feel like apply directly to building work and a life you love, about finding your calling. And don't worry, I won't ask you to try try out Bob Sledding or Skeleton or you know, to learn to put those ice skates on and try a triple axle. These are much more applicable things you can do, and you can start doing them today. So, lesson number one, they knew their strengths. So figure skaters didn't compete in speed skating, cross-country ski racers didn't compete in the big air snowboarding. And even the curling teams, which, oh my gosh, curling seemed to be on all the time. I found it fascinating, but good lord, there's a lot of curling teams. Anyway, the curling teams had job assignments based on their natural talents, their specific skills, and physical abilities to ensure maximum performance of the entire team. The Olympic athletes know exactly what they are naturally wired for, and they build their training around those strengths. And the same is true for us. When you match your work with your natural talents, you are more energized, you perform better, and you have more fun. So, how do we know what those natural talents are? Well, you can look at past experiences and see where you've excelled, but you could also take the Clifton Strengths assessment. The assessment I highly recommend everybody take take the time to do. Because just like the athletes are tested to identify their natural abilities, we should be doing the same and then find those strengths and build on them. Build on those abilities will increase your chances or our chances of success in work and life. So that first lesson from the Olympics, know your strengths and build from there. Lesson number two, they had fun and they took in the experience. Now, most athletes truly were there to take it in. I don't even know, thousands of athletes and only a handful go home with a medal. But you know what? Whether they left with a medal or not, they all left as Olympic athletes with memories I'm sure they'll hold on to until their great-great-grandkids someday. So they took in that experience. Now, that being said, it was very obvious that some athletes were under tremendous pressure, whether it was external pressure or internal pressure they put on themselves, which we will talk about in lesson number four. But the ones who were really a joy to watch were the ones clearly having fun and just out there sharing their gifts with all of us at home or in person, those lucky enough to watch the Olympics in person. And I especially loved, as many did, watching Alyssa Liu, the USA figure skater who won the woman's singles gold medal while competing with a joyful, carefree attitude. And if you know her story, you know she was returning from retirement. She retired at 16, I think it was, because she felt the pressure was too hard back then. And when she came back, she came back with a new attitude. And she shared with um reporters and anybody that would listen, she's she shared that now she's skating for fun rather than focusing on the pressure. And because she did that, she actually broke a dry spout, or I don't know if I'm saying a drought for the USA women's Olympic figure skating. This was the first gold in 24 years. That surprised me to learn that. But anyway, she was just pure joy to watch on the ice. It was obvious that she was just loving every minute of it. And she learned that when she just went out there to skate because she loves it, it was not only fulfilling, but it was just fun for her. And I also loved watching the snowboarders. Now they're always one of my favorites to watch because they just seem to have the best time of any athletes. And it appears to me that this carries, you know, that carries over into their sportsmanship because what I saw was their goal was just to land a new trick. And when they did, they celebrated that sometimes with awe that they just did it. But what was really cool to watch was how the other athletes celebrated with them, whether they were part of their team or from another country. They were just there to have fun and test out some new things and see what they could do. And that's such a powerful lesson for us. Because I want to ask you, are you having fun in your work? Do you find it fulfilling? That should be the goal. If you're not having fun and it's not fulfilling, then why are we doing it? Why are you doing it? Let's go find your calling. Because that's where the fun starts. You know, research shows that happy employees are more creative, they're more collaborative, they're more productive, they have a stronger, stronger mental and physical well-being. As Dell Carnegie says, people rarely succeed unless they have fun and what they are doing. And it's attributed that Mark Twain said this: find a job you enjoy doing and you'll never have to work a day in your life. Now, there's a little caveat to that quote, but you get the point. You know, and that's why inside of my Discovering Your Calling Academy, we make sure that the work my clients are designing for their future is going to be fun for them. Because again, what's the point if it's not fun and you don't feel fulfilled in doing it? And the best part about this lesson is just like watching those athletes who exuded pure joy when they did their sport. When you work with pure joy, it's contagious. It creates a ripple effect to everyone around you. And then they go out and have more fun, and then that creates a bigger ripple effect. So lesson number two is success is so much easier when you actually enjoy what you're doing. You have to be having fun. So lesson number three, they had support. Athletes have coaches, trainers, a community. You know, behind every athlete is a team of coaches helping them perform at their peak. Coaches to teach fundamentals and refine skills, trainers for strength, nutrition, and conditioning who personally designed regimens for the athletes. Our son, when he was competing in the USA as a USA skeleton athlete, he had trouble gaining weight. So his nutritionists and trainers had him getting up at 3 a.m. in the morning to eat peanut butter to keep the weight on when he was competing at his highest peak. Now, that's not a problem I have ever had as far as keeping weight on, but that was a problem he had. And he had this team around him to help him figure that out. We also, all those athletes also had a community cheering them on, supporting them, picking them up when they fell, and celebrating them when they won. None of those athletes, none of them get to the Olympics alone. And neither do we. Making changes is hard. Becoming your best in working life is hard. Running a business is super hard at times. And this is why it's so important to have the support of a coach, a mentor, a community of like-minded individuals. It makes a world of difference and it shortens the road to success. And I want to let you in on a little secret here. I'm working on a community for mid-career women looking to make a career change. And if that sounds interesting to you, if you want to be part of a community like that of other like-minded women on the same journey as you, send me a DM with the word community, and I'll make sure you are the first to know when the doors open. And yes, it's gonna be on Facebook, but I promise you it'll be worth it. So lesson number three, don't try to build your future alone. Find support, find coaches, find a community. Lesson number four, they worked on their minds. You know, doing anything extraordinary requires being in the best mental place possible. This isn't so important that the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee now employs dedicated sports psychologists to support their athletes. You know, famous athletes like Simone Biles and Michael Phelps have shared how therapy and mental training boosted their well-being and performance. And more athletes than ever are seeking support to handle the pressure, manage attention on social media. They feel that more than ever, you know, beyond what we would. And also just balancing sport with their life. And sports psychologists also train athletes how to manage the distractions and reframe the challenges. And this builds a strategic edge. You know, strengthening the mind is like a muscle alongside the body. So it's a muscle that we can't forget to strengthen. And this applies directly to you as well. You know, this is an area that is a constant work for most of us. And I am not a licensed psychologist, but in everything I do, whether it be my book, Discovering Your Calling Academy, or any of my other coaching programs, we always talk about mindset. Because when you work through the overwhelm and the feeling stuck and the fear alongside all the other training, that's where you're going to get to peak performance and achieve amazing things. Even just like the athlete. Sometimes it's just learning how to balance trying to build something new with balancing the rest of your life. Those are all the things that have to be addressed. So, lesson number four, your mindset matters just as much as your skill set. Lesson number five, hustling harder doesn't guarantee a win. So this lesson came from the amazing gold medal hockey game. And if you watch this game, you know the Canadian hockey team had twice as many shots, and they really kept control of the puck way more than you the United States did. But team USA clinched the win by having the right shots at the right time. And this is such a powerful reminder. You know, hustling harder doesn't guarantee a win. And some of us, and I am so raising my hand right here because this is my default setting. Having we have that mindset that if something's not happening right away, I just have to work harder to make things happen. I have to do more, I have to be busier. I can go out and just make it happen by my hustling. And again, I raise my hand to this because it is my default setting. It is a mindset that I have had to work on for 25 years or more. And inside the work I do with clients, now that I know hustling harder is not the answer. It's, you know, the way we work through things with my clients and the discovering your calling academy. And I just, we, I just talked about this with one of my current clients because she's on lesson four. We just wrapped up. And at that point, we're about halfway through. And sometimes to my clients, it feels like they're going backward or it feels like things are moving way too slowly, especially if they're used to that hustling harder to make things happen mentality. But what we're really doing is clearing away the obstacles. We're strengthening the fundamentals, and we're getting in a position so when the right opportunity opens, they're ready for it. You can be ready for it. Because that's the shot that matters. That's the one that wins the game of work and life. And just like the USA hockey team didn't have control of the puck most of the game, and they didn't shoot, they shot about half the time that the Canadians did, they still won the game. So lesson number five, hustling harder is rarely, I didn't want to say never, but rarely never the answer to achieving success. So are you hustling too hard because you think that's the answer to find your calling? I'm here to tell you it's not. So, in closing, my friend, I want to know which of these five lessons do you need to lean into right now? Which one will help you win your own game, your own game and succeeding and work in life? And if you've been feeling like you're playing way too hard right now, or you're taking a ton of random shots, and you're ready to, yes, slow down, be more intentional, work in your strengths, return to the fundamentals. That's where I can help. I'm here to help you in discovering your strengths, being that coach, welcoming you into a community of like-minded women, or helping you shift out of that hustle mentality. I'm here for you for all of it. And right now, I have four different ways you can work with me. I have my start with strengths 90-minute session. I have my clarity and strategy session in three hours, a half day session. For those that we can really power down. And then my Discovering Your Calling Academy, we can do that one-on-one at any time if space is available. Or I am gonna start back up small group cohorts of Discovering Your Calling Academy. The next one's coming in the spring of this year, 2026. So if any of that sounds interesting to you, head over to sherry mitreco.com forward slash services to learn a little bit more about all those, or simply send me a private message. You can message me on Facebook or LinkedIn and let's just talk about it. Let's figure out how I can be that coach for you? How can I provide that community for you? Maybe you just want to be part of the new Facebook community that's coming soon. How can I help you get to that peak level of success in work and life? And also, make sure you reach out and let me know what lessons you took away from watching the Olympics that maybe I missed. I would love to hear from that. Thanks as always for listening to the Discovering Your Calling podcast. I'm so grateful that you are here and listening to this show every time a new episode drops. Thank you for spending this time with me. My hope is something you heard today inspires you to take action toward discovering your calling. I just have two favors to ask of you before you go. One, if you found value and enjoyed this episode, please leave us a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, and you might hear your review read on a future episode. And two, can you share this episode with three friends who will also enjoy it as much as you did? By doing these things, you will help us grow the podcast to make a bigger impact on the world. And until next week, remember, you've been created to live a life of fulfillment, freedom, purpose, success, and joy.