DIRECTORS DESK

Last week I was asked to present in a class at Indiana University about the idea of Goal Setting. Obviously in Athletics, goals are a very important detail to how we train. Goals are a factor that can be the difference between achieving great or mediocre things. During the 2008 Summer Olympics, the world’s eyes were tuned in as Swimmer Michael Phelps raced for an unheralded 8 Gold Medals.

Shortly after Phelps won his eighth Gold medal, he was asked by sports analyst Bob Costas about the process this feat entailed. Phelps replied, “I wrote the goal to win eight Gold Medals on a piece of paper years ago, and taped it on to my desk wall so I could see it every day.” Costas asked, “What if you didn’t achieve it?” With a smirk on Phelps’ face, he responded, “That never would have happened.”

I can’t imagine that Phelps became an Olympic swimmer over night and honestly I can’t imagine the process it would have taken to reach the level that he reached. He put his mind to something and patiently went about the process, with success and I’m sure at times, with failures.

Now patience, that’s a word I hate. In my presentation to a group of college students, I had to tell them the importance of one of the few words in my vocabulary that makes me cringe when I think about it, patience. I believe we live in a society which I like to call, “The Microwave Society.” Have you ever noticed how “Instant” our society has become?

In trying to prove my point I went online to look for illustrations of how ridiculously impatient we can be and I found it. Did you know that on a box of Pop-Tarts, there are instructions on how to microwave a pop-tart? The instruction states, “Microwave at high for 3 seconds. Allow pastry to cool briefly before handling.” I laughed out loud as I wondered about the poor soul who couldn’t patiently wait for a pop tart in the toaster which would take less than a minute and then it occurred to me... I’M THAT GUY!! I’m the guy who doesn’t think he has enough time that he has to microwave a Pop-Tart. THREE SECONDS!!

It was in that moment that I realized that I probably wasn’t alone otherwise they wouldn’t have created instructions. I believe this has taught our athletes that success is a formula that belongs in a microwave, an instant breakfast shake, or instant oatmeal. Success doesn’t come instantly, unfortunately, but instead it is a process that happens every day, by being at your best all the time for a long extended period of time.

The coaches met Sunday evening and one message was made clear. Be patient with the process. Keep pushing the right things over and over again. Expect success, but respond to failure. As we have reached month two of the season, I’d like to remind all of us, to continue to remain disciplined to the process in which one of the hardest lessons that need to be learned, is to be patient.

I leave you with this quote, by philosopher, Fredrick Nietzsche.
“The essential thing in heaven and earth is that there should be a long obedience in the same direction; there results, and has always resulted in the long run, something which has made life worth living.”

Eugene Kim
Club Director