Ben Hunt-Davis always wanted to achieve greatness.
But up until 2000, even with all that he had accomplished, he still could not be considered
great.
Something was severely impeding him from attaining his life-long dream, and until he figured
out a way to minimize that hurdle, or maximize everything else around it, he would remain
dissatisfied.
According to Ben, “An Olympic gold medal is a crazy thing
to want, and a crazy thing to work towards.
The odds — even if you are a world-class athlete — are stacked against you.
I discovered that the only way to reach our crazy goal was with concrete, everyday habits.”
Ben was a member of the British men’s rowing team, a team that had not won an Olympic Gold
medal since 1912.
In preparation for the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, Ben wanted to change
that.
Ben’s transformation began with the everyday habits he outlined.
Through constant adherence to a very specific task and an overarching belief in a very specific
goal, the rowers commenced training for Sydney.
But it was not an inspirational quote, a sappy movie, or a benevolent cause that drove their
motivation.
Rather, it was a very intentionally designed question that affected every single decision
they made that would be the primary indicator for the team’s success.
“Will this make the boat go faster?”
When deciding whether or not to go to that 5 am workout: Will this make the boat go faster?
When choosing French fries or baked potato: Will this make the boat go faster?
When picking out what clothing to wear during training: Will this make the boat go faster?
For months leading up to the Olympic Games, each and every choice these gentlemen had
to make was followed up by the question, “will this make the boat go faster?”
The result for the team was Olympic Gold.
The result for Ben was greatness.
When working toward achieving something beyond your wildest imagination, discipline is of
utmost importance.
There must be a sense of structure, there must be a sense of focus, there must be a
sense of intentionality that allows you to grow and ultimately become the person who
is capable of accomplishing such an extraordinary feat.
The best way to create this unwavering sense of discipline is to incessantly ask yourself,
“will this make the boat go faster?”
If the answer is no, then you know it’s not the right choice.
But, if the answer is yes, then break out that paddle and start rowing.