Olympic success, CALM triathlon and achieving goals
I’m don’t know about you, but I’ve spent much of the last couple of weeks absorbed in brilliant Olympics. Here are a few other things along that theme that I’ve found this week that you might want to take a look at if you can squeeze it in amongst the stream of GB medals and amazing performances.
What I’ve Been Reading
From last to first, by Charlie Spedding, was recommended to me Olympic marathon runner Aly Dixon. Spedding won an unexpected Olympic bronze in LA competing in the marathon. His story is wonderfully written and is a great insight into the life of a runner. By his own admission, he was not one of the best runners in the world, but he developed an approach that allowed him to perform at his very best when it really counted, and that is what helped him deliver success after success. I particularly like the chapter ‘Beer drinkers guide to sports psychology’. If you like running, or are wanting to continue your Olympic consumption, I’d suggest giving it a read.
What I’ve been Laughing at
There is a little choice language, but this TikTok triathlon song has been making me laugh out loud!
Raising Money
I have arrived in Tallinn for my Ironman, and am trying raise as much money as I can for The Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM), a leading movement against suicide. If you’d like to follow my progress over the is a 2.4-mile (3.86 km) swim, a 112-mile (180.25 km) bike ride and then a marathon 26.22-mile (42.20 km) run, you can using the web or App athlete tracker. I start at 5 am BST and am race number 721. It will be a tough day at the office, but I know that the more sponsorship support there is, the easier it will be from a mental perspective, even if the physical challenge remains. If you would be willing to sponsor me on this epic journey and help us raise money for a charity supporting the single biggest killer of men under 45, you can do so here.
TED Talk I’ve Found Interesting
"Human beings are works in progress that mistakenly think they're finished." In his talk The psychology of your future self, Dan Gilbert shares recent research on a phenomenon he calls the "end of history illusion," where we somehow imagine that the person we are right now is the person we'll be for the rest of time. Hint: that's not the case.
Quote of the Week
“Winning doesn't always mean being first. Winning means you're doing better than you've ever done before.”
- Bonnie Blair, American speed skater and five-time gold medallist.
Finance Theme I’ve Been Considering
If you saw Sky Brown become the youngest person to ever win an Olympic medal for Team GB at the astonishing age of 13, or the delightful Gadirova twins win bronze at the age of 16, you’ll realise that to start early is one of the best recipes for success, as there is no telling what they will deliver at future events. The same applies to financial planning, because the sooner you start, the better financial future you will create. At the opposite end of the spectrum, Andrew Hoy has become Australia’s oldest Olympic medallist at 62 after equestrian silver, so it’s also never too late to achieve your goals, and guess what…it’s never too late to do it from a financial perspective either.
