What is a "Champion" (continued)

The Question What Makes A Champion? Is Fascinating To Explore

Is it the pursuit of an ideal situation, a vision, a dream that excludes all distractions, the ability to overcome, to endure, to sacrifice, to stay focused? Is mental stamina as crucial or more crucial than natural attributes, skills and physical ability and do champions emerge in fields other than sport? Must champions be winners, set records that others must measure themselves by, or is it enough to be considered a champion by being outstanding in any chosen field of endeavour?
        There is no doubt in my mind that not everyone can be a champion in the universally accepted sense of the word. Society tends to confine the accolade of champion to only the most distinguished sports achievers, giving minimal acknowledgement to the broader scope of championship. It is easy to recognise physical achievement, championship of the mind is far more elusive.

Now even with the presence of all the necessary elements, would a champion basketballer become a champion cricketer or would a champion golfer become a champion  tennis player? Although all of these sports demand well-developed ball skills, they are not easily interchangeable at championship level because they require such specific and focused development. This can also be true of intellectual championship.

I believe that the human brain is hard wired from birth to accommadate human frailty as well as strength and our inherited family gene profiles that creates individual potential. However, what happens from birth to maturity to enable potential to develop to its optimum is greatly influenced by environment nurture.

Themes that are reinforced with regards to champions;

• The essence of championship is having the determination to be the best we can possibly be. This takes commitment, effort, sacrifice and single-mindedness
• A champion mindset is one that embraces a 'can do' attitude even when tackling the unknown or the previously unachievable or unchallenged
• A champion acknowledges and accepts that 'If it is to be, then it is up to me'

 For us to either develop a championship culture in its broader sense or the essence of championship in ourselves it requires us to provide opportunity, appropriate education and training, in an ecouraging environment together with a healthy dose of nuture to enable ourselves and young to develop the confidence and self esteem necessary for a champion mindset - or to become a 'champion'

Few individuals achieve championship status without a support network of committed people

In an ideal world we would all embrace these elements, and realise they are not beyond the realm of possiblity for the majority of us to tap into. Both physical and intellectual championship require nurture and discipline, commitment, dedication and expert coaching. It will do us some good if we remove our willingness to dismiss or ridicule the vision and aspirations of others while offering no better thoughts, actions or solutions. Also the attachment we have to the belief that much virtue lies in being ordinary. What could possibly make being ordinary attractive?
      Is it the handy comfort zone we hide in and use as a shield, when we are not prepared to be challenged or to challenge ourselves? Is it a product of laziness or lack of self-esteem? Is it fear of not being accepted by others, the fear of risking failure or ridicule? The reality is we continue to live in society where people are so obsessed with fear and failure that we never take risks and push boundaries of all aspects of our lives be it at work, sport, in our relationships and we all fall back into our comfort zone, and cloud our fears and doubts with what we percieve are things to be important in our lives. I have learnt the being uncomfortable means your heading in the right direction, as soon as you become comfortable it means your not doing enough, not setting enough goals or being challenged, not taking enough risks because your fear of failure. This will only lead to dissapointment in aspects of your life as being comfortable is standing still in life, and if we stand still people will only walk past us and we get left behind. Remember fear can be a more powerful motivator than recognition. At the same time we should also recognise that it is human to seek and enjoy recognition. Recogniton is a powerful incentive and motivator, even for champions, perhaps especially for champions.

We all need to mature our attitude towards championship and excellence in the broader sense, beyond sport, and recognise that high achievers, whatever their excellence, expand the playing field and create opportunities for others. Wanting to build platforms for success is a very desirable mindset as even the smallest achievement can reach the first platform.
     Life could ideally be likened to a golf game, where we constantly play aginst our own handicap in a companionable social environment, versus say the solitude environment of a distance swimmer or marathon runner. Golf stands above the rest because it provides frequent sociable pauses after each shot and though we most often play in pairs or fours, we compete as individuals playing against your own handicap. Does this sound familiar in life? We move through our existence, having opportunities and challenges put infront of us, we sometimes have the benefit of outside influences to help with this but ultimately it comes down to what we do as an individual, and if we allow our fears and doubts to enable that hold of feeling we a somewhat restricted mentally and physically by our own personally-placed 'handicap' then we will will never move on to bigger and better challenges and rewards.

Of course championship has a broad defination, it has many things attached to its meaning. The next question that I for one am interested in is;

Is leadership a form of championship? Does effective leadership require a champion mindset? This is a subject itself which i will not attempt to explore here, except to say that preparation for sporting champions usually begins early in life as soon as natural abilities are recognised, whereas leaders often emerge later in life, drawing their strength, vision and motivation from experience, circumstance and events.
     While there are skills and attributes leaders and champions ofthen share, the primary focus of championship versus leadership is different, surely it has to be. Champions must focus on achieving their personal best to the exclusion of others whereas leaders must embody values that can be shared by others. Leaders must be capable of thinking collectively while acting individually and in the interests of the group. Leaders are recognised for their personal qualities and their ability to influence the performance of others.
      Both 'champions' and 'leaders' are achievers. Both are inspirational, capable of inspiring others to greatness

What is a "Champion"

We are all captivated by extraordinary success aren't we? I have always wanted to know what makes a champion, and I mean a "champion" in the broadest sense of the word. I see it as a fundamental aspect of the mind, the aspect of advancing anything in life. I do believe that everyone is a potential champion. So we should all be compelled to understand the factors that nurture and amplify extraordinary achievement.

I mean imagine the competitive advantage for those who possess such knowledge. Its ultimately the greatest knowledge and the more we understand our "dormant" potential to be champions, the better.

So championship can be best described as exploration of human achievement. But not achievement limited only to sports, rather human achievement across the board. The entire spectrum.

Of course, sport itself gives insights into the universals of "champions"

If you think about it, athletes might be considered neurotic. Coaches have often made that call. How else can you explain why a person, and without over exaggerating, would drive themselves to physical and in some cases mental collapse? How else can you explain the single-minded dedication of an Olympic Champion?

But the question has to be, is there really any difference between the so-called neurosis of the athlete and that of an artist, a scientist or for any individual who commits themselves to realise a dream? In all cases there is a sacrifice of the pleasures in life as normally appreciated.

What elusive spirit sustains champions through the agonising process necessary to achieve greatness, necessary to realise a dream? Answering this question we will have unlocked one of the mysteries of the mind. We will have discovered the element common to all great achievers. Ultimately I believe that what makes a champion is a champion "Mindset". The champion "mindset", not the skill itself, is the transferable commodity. If you have done something great in one field, you are far more likely to do so in another.

Talent will take you, where character can only sustain you

    (the skill itself)                 (champions mindset)

It is our mindsets that limit our expectations of ourselves and line our boundaries. It is our mindsets that determine whether we have the courage to challenge others and to expand our horizons.

Of course research has been done over the years to give us individuals clues of identifying and nurturing a champion mindset. Champions often have a mind that removes the thought to being only average, not always necessarily better than others, just not like the rest. Research says this quality frequently appears early in life in the form of a independence, rebellion or unconventional tastes. They are often familiar with adversity. They have had to 'fight' to get where they are and they continue to do so at some level, say by ignoring the body's warning signals, by denying themselves normal pleasures, or setting challenges that seem unreachable to the normal individual.

Don't be phased, as research has also proven that "champions" often fail, but the difference is that doesn't discourage them in the long haul for success. They learn how to convert 'upsets into set-ups' for something better.

Abraham Lincoln lost over and over again before stage-managing his sensational election as president http://tinyurl.com/5p43wl

Many of the world's greatest scientists were at best average students. Things just didn't come easily. At the other extreme, child prodigies rarely rise to the top of their profession, and by definition they are the ones who found learning effortless.

Those who learn effortlessly in youth may well be at a disadvantage in tackling seemingly insurmountable problems. Struggling in the early learning process possibly acclimatises us to difficulties as being a matter of course.

Surprisingly, what has also emerged from research is the possible necessity of overcoming adversity as preparation for being a champion, even adversity self created by the individual, say by setting goals beyond reach of which it first appears.

A famous quote from New Zealander Sir Edmund Hillary , the first person to accomplish Mt Everest, in an interview was 'Go for something outrageous...challenge yourself' - create adversity. 'If you know you can do it, don't do it' said Hillary. 'You might as well go to the beach.'

We especially need to anticipate adversity and look at it as both a challenge and a learning experience. But this aspect is more profound than just engaging positive thinking. It is vital to a champion mindset and it requires a important shift in our views and perceptions with adversity.

Before any promotion in life, first you will be tested...you will be placed in fire and how you react to the heat and pressure will determine your success.

Champions have the courage to break rules. Obviously its crucial to know the foundations of the discipline, whether it is the mathematical equations or the appropriate routines for athletic training. But champions seem to differentiate themselves from others with equivalent training by having the courage to experiment with the rules and to invent new ways of doing things. Even in sports, it takes courage to break with a conventional training routine

Look at it through someone will all know 'Albert Einstein'. Einstein was not an especially brilliant student. His brilliance emerged later, not when he was learning the rules of physics but when he was questioning the conventional learning's of his discipline.

Again, research has shown that what makes a champion or lets say a high performance athlete like 'David Beckham' is they execute their skill unconsciously. Beckham has kicked upward of million footballs in his life, and the reality is his brain knows how to do this without needing to be told. His actions and decisions are often intuitive and rarely based on conscious logic. Now this is contrast to the process of learning itself, which is logical, and a contrasting struggle. Yet trusting intuition in society these days is condemned. Champions have a adept talent that when under pressure or threat they trust there intuition and don't resort to conservative strategies, never choosing to ignore the boldness that got them to where they are...

If we all can begin to challenge ourselves, never doubt our beliefs and never allow the emotions of success and failure to impact our capacity to learn then we then will start to achieve everything we want in life. Being uncomfortable and facing adversity means we are heading in the right direction, and without a doubt waiting on the other side afterwards is everything we dream for...

"I'm sure there is a champion mindset. I can perhaps describe it as a mindset that blocks out all else apart from the goal or task at hand"

John Eales (Most successful Captain in Australian Rugby History)

                            http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Eales