Title: The herd only moves as fast as the slowest Buffalo” Interview #18
How would you like to get inside the mind of an Olympic medalist?
2012 London summer Olympic bronze medalist Brent Hayden accomplished one of the rarest feats in sport. He stood on the Olympic podium. Brent’s swimming resume includes both an Olympic bronze medal and world championship gold medal. His mindset is world class.
In golf, swimming, or any sport, the mindset of champions is remarkably similar. In my interview, Brent highlights several mental strategies that would make any athlete more successful.
Reflecting back to his childhood, Brent says he was not an athletic child and struggled at various sports. But he found comfort in the pool. On top of his affinity to the pool, Brent excelled in Karate and achieved black belt status. Looking back at his success, Karate had a significant influence on his mental edge.
In our interview Brent gives credit to his late sensei for many lessons that significantly improved his mindset and performance. Additionally, his sensei taught him that if you want to do anything in life, you have to do it with your whole heart.
Brent has worked hard and remembers going that extra mile in training. His perseverance, dedication and commitment pushed him through those days that he didn’t want to train.
In our interview, Brent lets us in on several mental strategies such as his pre-swim routine, goal setting, how he channels his nervous energy, and the visions of his podium finish that preceded his Olympic performance.
Brent says, “The herd only moves as fast as the slowest buffalo” in reference to the importance of choosing to surround yourself with high performance people. That list includes his team of coaches, and the competitors and teammates who have pushed him to greatness. This is a common theme among the champions I’ve interviewed before. Championship people think well and surround themselves with great people.
If you want to think like a World champion and Olympic medalist, listen to Brent Hayden…
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Swimming psychology
2012 summer Olympic games
mindset of success
achievement
goals
visualization
dedication
perseverance
interview
