There Is No Age On Your Dreams

Dara Torres won a silver medal tonight in the 50 meter freestyle swimming. Usually, winning a silver medal is not a truly newsworthy event for someone who has won numerous medals in her career. What made this astonishing is that Torres is 41 years old. This is ancient for Olympic swimming. To offer a contrast, one of her teammates is 16 years old; young enough to be her daughter.

Torres has competed in 5 or the last 7 Olympics. This is a longevity which is unheard of in this sport. However, it does prove that there is no age limit to your dreams. Dara Torres competed and succeeded at the highest level in a sport where she is considered over-the-hill at 30. Her re-emergence after almost a decade away shows that one can always achieve what he or she sets out to do.

There are three valuable lessons here that we all can apply to our lives.

1. Age is not an excuse:

A 41 years old medal winning swimmer? Torres easily could have said "I am too old to compete". The same is said for Famous Amos and The Colonel. Both of them started building their fortunes in their 60s. Many of us allow ourselves off the hook by throwing up this alibi. We see this when people are considering going back to school. They like to say, "I will be X years old when I am finished". The reply is "how old will you be four years from now if you do not go back to school?". The age excuse fails to work.

2. Get started:

At some point, Dara Torres needed to get back into her training. Talking and believing that she could do it is only part of the challenge. She needed to get after it. The same holds true for you. While age is not an excuse, time is still passing by one second at a time. You will be a year older in 12 months. What you do with that time determines where you will be then. Getting started is of paramount importance. While there are many examples of people who began later in life, there is no reason to wait. Overcome all the fear within you and start.

3. Pursuing a different direction is acceptable:

Torres is now at the point where she is going to pursue a different route in her life. Most likely, although we cannot bet against her, her Olympic career ended tonight. She is now going to move onto the next phase of her life. Even though she spent decades training in this one field, it is time to move onto something new. This is common among athletes. However, average people resist making this change. There are so many who stay right where they are because that is what they were trained to do. The concept of pursuing something different is completely foreign to them. Well that is rubbish. Just because you spent 20 years doing one thing, that does not mean that you are forbidden from going into something else. Athletes do it. So can you.

Think of these points for a little while. Consider where you are at in this moment compared to the dreams that still arise within you. Perhaps it is time to approach you life like Dara Torres does her. Following the lead of an Olympic champion will produce fabulous results.
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The Olympic Success

Michael Phelps is the story this week at the Olympics. Presently, he tied Spitz's record of 7 golds with another race left to go. He already has the most gold medals in American history. This is a feat that is remarkable no matter how one breaks it down. Phelps is an Olympic hero.

Let us look at your life. Are you anywhere close to be an Olympic champion in your field. For most, the answer is "No". They are drifting through life constantly hoping that things get better yet never realizing that possibility. There is no dream within them.

Let us reverse this trend by looking at what makes Phelps a champion and apply the four basic components to our lives. This is what separates Phelps from all others.

1. Physical: He is physically gifted in this area. Are you naturally cut out to do what you are doing? This might be physically, but also includes passion, desire, mental ability, and natural love for that career path. We are all "designed" to do something. Success starts with aligning ourselves with that natural ability.

2. Practice, practice, practice: Phelps swims over 3 miles everyday. Do you put in the effort to practice your craft? This would include studying, reading, or modeling the successes of those who are achieving what you desire. Become an expert in your field. Phelps is not only physically gifted, he honed his craft to the point where each stroke is like it was done by a machine.

3. Mental Outlook: All the great ones have this. Phelps, like Tiger Woods and others, believes he is going to win every race before it starts. His ability is not in doubt. Do you have this same outlook? Is the belief that you are going to excel in whatever you are doing present within you? For most, it is not. The champions have this as a basis for all their achievement.

Focus you attention on these three areas. If you find that you are lacking in any of them, this is an indication of what is holding you back. Uncover what you natural desire is, work hard at it, and believe that you will excel and you will find that success is a daily part of your life.
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