I recently sang a theme song in Chicago for around 6000 people.
The song is called, “Own It,” and it is the theme song for the incoming National Association of Realtors’ President, Elizabeth Mendenhall. Elizabeth invited us to sing it for her inaugural.
Super fun and so empowering.
As part of that experience, I was invited to hang for the weekend for the rest of the conference. THAT invitation included a listening in as Elizabeth interviewed the most decorated Olympic Athlete of all time, Michael Phelps.
Seriously, I didn’t expect much. I mean, Michael is a swimmer, not a speaker. I don’t need him to play a million roles. He made me cheer for America many, many times as a swimmer, and he more than completed what I personally hoped for from a total stranger.
HOWEVER,
I was willing to hang for a few minutes to see what he had to say.
Gang, Wow.
As a Mindset coach, I was caught by 3 things he brought up in the interview. Dang.
And while I would never presume to speak for Mr. Phelps, I CAN speak for my take-aways.
Here we go!
1. Visualization.
The first piece Michael (Mike?) said was he was so glad to have a coach who instilled in him the practice of visualization from the age of 15.
He gave a great example of how he had to swim “blind” for a Gold Medal in the 2008 Olympics. He said that when his goggles started filling up with water, he knew he could still swim the race blind. Why? Because he’d visualized it. He already knew what it was like to swim a Gold Medal race blind. And he won.
2. Writing Down Goals.
Mike (‘cause I’m cocky now and I’ve put us on a first name basis) said that he had written goals hung in his closet so he would see them every day. Listen up!!! Goals!! Written down!!! Where he could see them EVERYDAY!!!!! Power of the mind, anyone? (And, yes, it must’ve been a big closet, but that’s beside our point.)
Where are your written goals? Do you see them everyday?
3. The Sky’s The Limit.
Yep, We’re talking about music. He said that part of his mindset before every race came from music. Specifically, he liked Biggie Small’s, “The Sky’s the Limit.”
Okay, listen, NOW you’re talking to a songwriter. Wait, I’m not a singer/songwriter, either. I’m a commercial songwriter. So when it comes to creating theme songs, this is my ZONE. So, as a point of research, I went straight back to my hotel room and downloaded these lyrics. What I found was a beat I could hang with, but lyrics that didn’t resonate.
Soooooooooo, I’m kind of glad I write my own theme songs. I’m also glad to have clients who are willing to invest in their personal mindset via a theme song with lyrics they can relate to on every level.
All in all, I had a great trip.
I also think that we ALL have mindset work to do.
Yes, it happens that a coach told Michael Phelps that he could go to the Olympics early on, but the key is Michael BELIEVED it.
What are you deeply and seriously willing to believe?
Once you decide that, it’s time to get to work.