How to Build a Champion

Champions are made, not born

Chances are if you are reading this you are already interested in increasing your performance. It could be in preparation for a race or event. It could be raising a teenager. It could be starting a business. It could be staying alive!

I have the opportunity to hang with and ponder the ways of some pretty successful people in my life. Some are Iron people. Some are business people. Some are kids. Most are those who overcame huge obstacles, took a beating, kept at it and came out on top! I also have read a few books and attempted to apply what others learned to increase my success and here is a summary of what I learned.

Champions are:

• Resilient and resourceful: Life often throws us obstacles. I don’t know anybody who’s plan went off without a hitch. They are versatile enough to create a way around, over or through roadblocks and discouragement. They find a way to fit the necessary (training) into the crazy (everyday life). I know a guy who broke his arm and has a physical job. Recognizing the loss of his right hand, he would joke “I still have 2 good legs, one good arm, 2 good fingers and a great big heart” Never missed a day of work
• Tough: Successful people do what they don’t like to do. It hurts. They kinda care. They kinda don’t because they expect to endure hardship. “It’s Monday. I hurt. I don’t want to go to cross fit. I will go anyway”
• Fun to be around: Someone may be the fastest or the richest. But, if they are a jerk, who would want to be around them? (If you are a jerk, be someone else for a day and see if you like it). Boasting is not boasting if you can prove it, but nobody likes a braggart. Laugh a little. Laugh at yourself!
•  Hard workers: I recently found it necessary to make a decision that involved screwing with another person’s life in likely an unpleasant way. I could have suffered by tolerating it, or they could have suffered the effects of discipline. Then I heard Tom Petty singing on the radio “There ain’t no easy way out”. True statement. There is no easy way out of life, so may as well get down to business and get it done as quickly as possible and pay the price, like it or not.
• Have a clear, certain vision of what they want to accomplish, and a plan to do it: This is the fun part! It is a euphoric experience to accomplish goals! The motivation to take the proper action comes from (a preferably written) vision and plan stating what success looks like. It is powerful enough to drag even me out of bed!
• Lucky: Luck is what happens when preparation meet opportunity. Think about that for a bit.
• Generous: They hand out praise and encouragement abundantly, especially to the hurting, lesser talented or rookies.
• Busy: They can squeeze out time to train and not take it from the lives of others. Good thing for alarm clocks and lots of coffee!
• They make it look easy: But it is not. What looks like easy is accomplished by usually long periods of training, practice and competition perfected with diligent effort on top of natural talent.
• Givers: They share. They realize there is more to gain by giving than there is by hogging up resources. The spot what others need and give it at exactly the right time.

Freedom comes from facing what you fear, staring it down, being defiant about defeat. It is about digging deep down and over coming it. Face down your fears, and the death of fear is certain!

So long as these qualities in you are increasing, it will be come your character. Your character will shape your destiny