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🏋️♀️ Unlock the Mindset of Champions
Discover the Secrets to Building World-Class Performance in Any Field. Insights from Chasing Excellence by Ben Bergeron.
Happy Friday! In honor of the Olympics Opening Ceremony happening today, we’re diving into the world of elite fitness.
🔍️ Today’s book spotlight is Chasing Excellence: A Story About Building the World’s Fittest Athletes by Ben Bergeron, coach to multiple Olympians and CrossFit champions.
📕 In Chasing Excellence, Bergeron reveals the mental and physical strategies that separate the good from the truly great. Through the lens of training world-class athletes, he offers insights applicable to anyone striving for excellence in their field. This book details how anyone, with the right tools, can develop the mentality of a champion.
SMARTEST TAKEAWAY
Excellence is a Habit, Not a Destination
➡️ Consistency: It takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit, and the "10,000-hour rule" suggests world-class expertise requires deliberate practice and experience.
➡️ Mental toughness: Olympic athletes spend up to 10% of their training time on mental preparation. Studies show mental toughness significantly correlates with better athletic performance.
➡️ Continuous learning: Top performers are 400% more productive than average, largely due to their ability to adapt and learn.
➡️ Process goals: Individuals who set specific, challenging goals outperform 90% of their peers. Combining such goals with feedback improves performance by 16% on average.
Bergeron's message is clear: excellence comes from consistent improvement across multiple dimensions, not just physical training. It's about developing the right habits, mindset, and approach to continuous growth.
INSIGHTFUL EXAMPLE
A Shift in Perspective
Bergeron shares how he helped athlete Mat Fraser overcome his fear of failure after a second-place finish at the CrossFit Games. By shifting Fraser's focus from the outcome to the process of daily improvement, Fraser went on to win the CrossFit Games five times consecutively.
This example illustrates how changing your mental approach can unlock untapped potential and lead to extraordinary achievements.
A QUOTE TO REMEMBER
Excellence Demands ‘More’
Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible.
DID YOU KNOW?
The Power of Marginal Gains
Bergeron's approach aligns with the concept of "marginal gains," popularized by Sir Dave Brailsford, who led the British Cycling team to dominate the Olympics and Tour de France. This philosophy suggests that by improving every area related to cycling by just 1%, the cumulative effect would be remarkable.
Similarly, Bergeron emphasizes that excellence isn't about making massive changes overnight, but about consistently making small improvements across all areas of performance. This approach has not only produced world-class athletes but has been adopted by businesses and individuals seeking to excel in various fields.
By focusing on these incremental improvements day after day, anyone can work towards their own version of excellence, whether in sports, business, or personal growth. Bergeron's book serves as a roadmap for this journey, offering practical strategies to turn the pursuit of excellence into a daily habit.
LEVEL UP CHALLENGE
Embracing Innovation
Identify Your Goal: Choose an area of your life where you want to excel.
Daily Process Focus: List three small, daily actions that will move you towards excellence in this area.
Mindset Check: At the end of each day, reflect on how you embraced challenges as opportunities for growth.
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