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All of us have expectations we set for ourselves. We want to do well in our careers, we want to raise a good family, we want to be wealthy and financially free. All of us have expectations, goals and achievements we set for our lives, or at least, something we aspire to. So what happens when we fall short of our expectations? Or the expectations that people have placed on us; our bosses, families, or friends? How should we respond? Failures are Part of the Process towards Victory We must have the attitude and mindset that our failures are part of the process towards our victory. No one knows that better than Lord Sebastian Coe. And he’s had a lot of expectations. His athletics career is stellar. In 1979, he set his first world records in Oslo, Norway in the 800m and the mile and later broke the world 1500m record in Zurich, Switzerland, becoming the first person to hold all three records at the same time. What’s even more amazing is he did all of that in the space of 41 days. Later that year, he easily won the 800m at the European Cup and anchored the British 4 x 400m relay team with the fastest split of the quartet. He remained undefeated at all distances that year, was voted “athlete of the year” by Athletics Weekly and Track and Field News and was ranked number one in the world at 800m and 1500m. No other athlete since has ranked number one at these distances in the same year. He set and then broke numerous UK and world records and was a dominant figure in middle distance running throughout the 1980s. So, when the Olympics came to Moscow in 1980, Coe was the overwhelming favorite to win the gold in his specialty – the 800m. But the unbelievable happened. He made the “worst tactical” decisions in his race and lost to his fellow countryman and rival Steve Ovett. In what was expected to be his greatest triumph, he was crushed. Afterwards, he said of his father, who was also his coach, “In the following days he just kept reminding me not to lose my head, not to panic, to hold my form throughout the race no matter what might be going on around me. Beat up on me? Never. He restored my belief. He helped me through all that pressure.” He had lost, but was undefeated. He said a few minutes after his 2nd place finish, “Tomorrow is another day, and there will be another battle!” His attitude kept him going. A week later at the 1500m, he stunned the world in a comeback triumph after his heartbreaking loss, a testament to his courage and mental strength. One of the greatest middle distance runners of all time, Lord Coe is the only man in modern times to have won the Olympic 1500m title twice. And it was his ATTITUDE that kept him on, quite literally, the right track. His never-say-die attitude never left him after he retired from his athletics career in 1990. Lord Coe has ventured into politics and become a key figure in British sports off the track. A Member of Parliament, and then the House of Lords, the Chairman of the London 2012 bid company, he is now Chair of the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. The question most frequently asked of Lord Sebastian Coe is whether winning Olympic gold or bringing the 2012 Games to London ranks as the supreme achievement of his sporting life. “Getting the Games for London has been the fulfillment of a dream,” he says. “It is one which I truly believe can change the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people for the better. But in the end nothing can quite compare with winning your first Olympic gold medal. “The terrible truth is that, without that small round object hanging from a ribbon around your neck, you are incomplete as an athlete.” What is his hope for hosting the Olympic games? What he doesn't want to happen after 2012 is to see the interest and enthusiasm everyone has in sport during the games evaporate. Those people who pick up running shoes, a tennis racquet, swimming trucks, whatever it is, stick their sporting attire all the way in the back of a cupboard and forget the impact the games had on them. He wants to leave a legacy. A legacy that will go on inspiring young people and making sure that governments, local authorities and the commercial sector recognize that it doesn't stop at the closing ceremony. That the spirit of the games will live on, continue to inspire and leave an indelible mark on the lives of these youth. He says, “I know it’s ambitious, but at the end of four years we want everyone, or as many people as possible, the length and breadth of the country, whether they’re in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or England, to feel that the games touch them and that it inspires them to do something different, or something that they haven’t done before. That is the power of the games. “It’s all about attitude. We want to change attitudes in all sorts of ways. We want to change attitudes to sports, sports participation and we want to get more young people involved in sport. We want to change attitudes towards the Paralympic games, disability, the environment and we want to change attitudes to what sustainable communities using sport can do.” We’re all familiar with the analogy. You can choose to be a carrot, an egg or a bag of English tea when you go through hot water; softened, crushed and bent out of shape, hard-boiled and cynical, or we can change the color and taste of the hot water. Isn't it time you chose to be an excellent cup of English tea? Albeit soaked wet by the circumstantial defeats of our lives but leaving a legacy of change for all the people around us to enjoy. Change your attitudes and beliefs. That’s what changes your circumstances and results. Success Resources: http://www.srpl.net/
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