[Zeeshan]

Posted on Facebook. Recopying and pasting it here.

I have been studying peak performance and human achievement for a while. Here is what I gleaned so far:

Moon landing: It was 99% strategy. It was all about planning, engineering, creating a blueprint with hitches and obstacles and breakdowns and glitches all way along. But the actual cherry-on-top lasted for a week (the journey) but in reality it took 10 years in the making.

Nadia Comaneci: We all see the cliche images of gymnasts head held high as if smacking pride or something. Well basically it is actually the look. The demeanor of a champion. There is one scene in the fictional movie Nadia where the whole audience was chanting "Nadia! Nadia! Nadia!" which kind of brainwashed her psyche and soul and possibly in my opinion gave her the self-belief of a champion. Once she did a below-par performance and her coach was livid and she had a frozen look which said: "It will never happen. I will be a champion and number 1 no matter what."

Usain Bolt: Grew up in Jamaica immersed n a culture saturated which regularly churns out mechanically running and sprinting machines. He is also relaxed in his pre-game routine which tremendously helps him as opposed to other anal guys bogged down on crossing the ts and dotting the is which actually screws up their performance even more... But I also learned how Michael Johnson's academy believes that champions are not born, but can be manufactured.

Djokovic: After a brief lapse in his performance, he had to find himself. And he realized the very first time he picked up a tennis racket was because of passion- that child like fascination. He started playing everywhere in every court and that is when he entered the zone where he was undefeated for six months. He also moved from his around 600 or so seed to 3 to 1 and going to that 99th cent percentile rank took him x amount of years. He also had an utter self-belief drilled in him by his coach that one day he will be #1.

Michael Jordan: "Give me the last shot. I will make it. I was made by god to make it." Almost zealous and superfanatical self-belief that it was his destiny. Again, self-belief is the key. Any dime-a-dozen chump can rectify techniques. And that is not to say that is not important. You need to work hard, train like a m****************er and enjoy the process. Which brings me to:

Michael Phelps: He never missed a training in 6 years for 365 days a year. F-----ed up ain't it?

Bannerman: He actually studied the human body. He studies the art and science of running and broke it into segments. He didn't attempt the entire four mile at once, but took it piecemeal.

And that is my friend the secret to success and champions' mindset. If you have a defeatist mentality and limiting beliefs that it is all about luck, connections, good genes and physique....psssh you will only go so far in life. I mean FFS Phelps had the perfect physique, but the f****er practiced for 8 hours 365 days a year for six years. Solid.