London Olympic Inspiration – What Happens Next?

August 13th 2012, the day after the London Olympics. The British can be a fairly cynical lot, so it came as a surprise for many people when they found themselves uplifted and inspired by the London 2012 Olympics. In this article I want to ask what happens next and go over 3 answers…
The Great Gordino Goal Achievement
The first answer is that nothing happens.

All those vivid examples of setting goals and working towards them lifted you up and made you consider new possibilities for a couple of weeks, yes, but in the cold light of day, things like that aren’t for you, right?

You’ll do nothing towards that goal that really means something to you, the one that you know rings your bell. Because you’ll do nothing towards it, nothing will happen, and your circumstances will stay the same as they are now.

The second answer is that you’ll keep working towards the goal you have already set.
The Olympic feel good factor will make you look at your progress, check to see if things are going ok, or whether you need to change path.

You’ll carry on working, perhaps work even harder, and you’ll carry on making forward progress. That’s superb, but it’s the third answer to my question that really gets me going, and it’s this…

The third answer is that your life changes.

You’ve seen what others can achieve by setting a goal, working out how to get there, and then putting in the work. You’ve seen them follow their passion with the ever present danger of failure that comes in their arena, which happens to be sport.

Would it be ridiculous to aim for Olympic gold in Rio? Well you might say yes, but ask the 2 British gold medallists who had not tried their sports 4 years ago!

Think of the athletes on the day after London 2012. Some will have retired, and will be making new life plans, setting new goals for themselves. Some will have got up at 4 am to train, on the 4 year path to the next Olympics.

They know where they want to be in 4 years – do you?

Will you be watching in 2016, seeing those athletes after another 4 years of work, with you being no further forward at all? Or will you decide, right now, that in 4 years time you too will have all that amount of work and progress under your belt?

The thing is, it’s a choice – and it’s *your* choice.

Don’t just accept it when someone tells you how stupid you’re being, don’t worry if people laugh at your idea.

Decide on it, believe it, act on it.

The athletes who competed in London will be fine – the huge majority of them have their next 4 years planned out ahead of them. So, don’t think of their goals, but think of what they showed you, and then think about your own goals, whatever they may be, and ask yourself – what happens next?

Ok, let me know what you think!

‘Till Next Time,
Health & Happiness,
Gordon
P.S. For an extra boost of motivation, how about my book now available on Kindle, ‘Transform Your Life in 21 Days!’

Do leave a comment!

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10 Comments

    • Well thank you! I suspect your own Olympic inspiration of being in the Opening Ceremony will live long in the memory!

  • Nice post. For myself, I have set myself a short-term goal that I believe will be reached in no more than 3 years (much of the timing depends on the employment situation, so we’ll see). No, I won’t be competing for a gold medal, but I do anticipate some fairly major life changes as a result. Now it’s all about staying focused, doing the work, and taking the actions I know must be taken.

    • Excellent Cheri! Sounds like you have some adventures ahead! I intend to tap into the London 2012 feelgood factor as I move forwards myself! Cheers, Gordon

  • Great post, Gordon.
    A while ago I read a comment that someone had made regarding how he thought that he was too old to plan ahead several years. He was saying that in so many years he would be ??? (I can’t remember his age)
    And then someone else made the point that he would be the same age whether he made the changes or whether he did not.

    The thing is that working towards a goal enriches each day of the journey and a life lived in hope is much better (in my opinion) than a life without.

    • That’s a good point Dave – the person who says he is too old, may well look back after the 4 years and think “hmm, I could have done that after all but now the 4 years have gone!” Cheers, Gordon

  • Goals are so important to have. The athletes had goals, but more importantly, they had passion for what they did. Without passion for what you do – goals are useless.

    So, what are you passionate about?

    • I think you’re right about the passion – that’s what gets the ahtletes up at 4m in the winter, and it keeps us going through barriers with our own goals – great point! Cheers, Gordon

  • Hi Gordon,

    Nice post!

    I think what you mentioned about believing in it and acting on it is an important reminder for all of us. As long as we continue to believe in what we are doing, then we will reach our ultimate goal.

    It’s perseverance and goal setting!

    Thanks for an inspiring reminder!

    ~Christine

    • Yes Christine, the belief has to be there, because it’s the belief that will drive the difficult actions when they come (which they probably will!) Without the belief, the smallest stumbling block can see the whole thing grind to a halt!
      Cheers, Gordon