- Whitney was on a national team with people I looked up to,
and, you know, she'd always come back with,
like, autographs and stuff, and I was like, I want to do that.
I'm getting 52 more practices than everybody else is,
and that's going to make that little
our big difference in the end.
You know, if you want to do something
and you want it that bad, you'll make sacrifices.
You know the people before me set the bar so high,
and I was a little kid that wasn't afraid
to dream as big as I could.
- He's an American competitive swimmer
and the most decorated Olympian athlete of all time.
He also holds the all time record for Olympic gold medals.
His international titles and record breaking performances
has earned him the title
of World Swimmer of the Year seven times.
He's Michael Phelps, and here's my take
on his top ten rules for success.
Rule number three is my personal favorite,
and I'd love to know which one you guys like the best.
(swoosh)
- I had two older sisters that I kind of looked up to,
and for them, having the chance to travel
nationally and internationally, you know,
Whitney was on an international team
with people I looked up to, and, you know,
she'd always come back with, like, autographs and stuff,
and I was like, I want to do that.
I want to be on those teams. I want to travel the world,
and at that point, I was just like,
I want to be an Olympic Gold medalist.
I want to break a world record,
and I want to be a professional athlete,
and those goals that I thought about every single day
kept me coming, week after week and year after year
until I was able to accomplish them.
- [Announcer] What struck us most about Michael
when we met him all those years ago
was his dedication to the long hours in the pool.
- It's one reason why we trained seven days a week,
why we train on Christmas, why we train on Thanksgiving,
365 days a year.
I don't know of many clubs that train seven days a week.
So, that gives you one extra set training session
every single week where you can pick something up.
So, I mean, I'm getting 52 more practices
than everybody else is, and that's going to make that little
our big difference in the end.
- What do you feel separates good athletes
from the best athletes?
- I think it comes back to what I was saying earlier about,
I mean, I think it's, a lot of it is mental.
You know, if you want to do something, and you want it
that bad, you'll make sacrifices,
and, you know, I, growing up for me as a kid,
I made a lot of sacrifices that I didn't see 'em
that they were a big deal, and I don't see 'em, like,
I don't think of them being, as being a big deal right now.
You know, there were Saturdays or Fridays where, you know,
I'd give up going to a dance or hanging out with my friends
'cause I had workout the next day, but those things
that I gave up, you know, were things that I wanted to,
to help me get to my goal, and there were times
where I been put in uncomfortable situations,
but I've used my mental power
and my mental strength to push through it.
I think that's how you, you know, you can look
at any of the athletes in the world.
I mean, Tiger, the guy's a busted knee and still
comes and destroys the rest of the field.
You know, that's the thing.
It's like, people don't make excuses.
There's some of the best athlete, or the greatest athletes
in the world, do things when they're uncomfortable.
You know, everybody can compete when they're feeling good,
happy, excited, rested, but it's the best people
who can overcome when they're tired, sore,
not in the great mind, you know, not in the best mindset,
and I think mental power that the greatest athletes have
can push all the pain aside.
You know, I mean, when I was doing that Navy Seals thing,
was it easy for me to do it? No.
Was it easy for me to climb
over a 45 foot wall and look down?
Not at all; I'm afraid of heights, but you know,
I said to myself, I'm going to do this and no one's
going to stop me, and I think that's the biggest thing
is how strong you can be mentally
'cause I think that really shows who the person is.
So, I think that's one thing that separates
the good from the greatest.
I think that I just, I just keep the ball rolling.
I like to, I guess, have some more
best times in other events.
Maybe a close score that gets noticed. I don't know.
I think that, it's my long term goal
is to win the gold medal in Athens
and go in more than one event.
So, I mean, I have a lot of goals,
but I think that I just want to take day-by-day.
- [Voiceover] Michael Phelps was a force of nature
who was preparing to take on the world and win his first
Olympic medal at that year's Athens games.
He stood six foot four with a wing span of six foot seven.
The then 18 year old had already established himself
as the world's fastest ever all-around swimmer,
and at this stage in her career, he held three world records
and three world titles, but his big aim was to win
Olympic gold in Athens, and not just one.
He was looking to equal or even exceed Mark Spitz's
record hold of seven gold medals from the 1972 Olympics.
Many, including Australian's Ian Thorpe,
thought Phelps's mission, impossible.
- I think if he said that then it's, I means it's sort of
he thinks that he can't do it.
I don't think it's impossible for anybody.
I mean, I think if you really just have a wide open mind,
and use your imagination,
I think a lot of things are possible.
I think of myself as the greatest person
that I can be, and that's it.
I'm not going to go out of my, you know, out on a limb
and say I'm the greatest this or that.
I just, I was a kid with a dream, that's it,
and, you know, the people before me set the bars so high,
and I was a little kid that wasn't afraid
to dream as big as I could, and that's really it.
I, you know, like you said, we were like talking before,
I was dedicated, I was hardworking,
and that put me in the shoes where I am now.
You know, ever since I've moved to Arizona,
it's been so wild to me, to see so many people
that have come up and just been supportive,
and I think that's something really special
because it goes hand, it goes back to what I wanted to do
with the sport, and being able just to know that this person
or that person is watching at the random bar
down the street or a random restaurant down the street.
I've changed things in the sport,
and I've done what I wanted to do,
and there are people back home, when we're overseas,
that are screaming their brains out,
and there's nothing cooler, like, when I come home
and hear just the stories from them,
and those little times, you know,
could change someone's life, could pick somebody up.
It's just an honor for me.
- This time his retirement is for real,
even though he claimed the same thing after London.
I remember saying to you, "Are you done?"
You said, "I'm done, I'm done."
I said, "The great ones never retire," Jordan.
- The million dollar question, I know.
- Sugar Ray, you said, "Nope, nope, nope,"
but you were boned.
You weren't loving the swimming at that time.
- I hated it; I wanted nothing to do with the sport then,
and that's why I came back 'cause I didn't end
my career like that, but I had to find the passion,
myself, again, and I found that again, and I had fun,
and this was, this is how I wanted to finish.
How I, what I did here is the best.
- What happened in, since London and Rio
in those couple of years that turned the lights back on?
- I guess I just started being me and found who I was
and was happy with who I am, and that's what everybody's
going to see, and that's what everyone is seeing
over the last two years, me being me and being a kid
and loving what I'm doing, and, you know,
being able to start a family.
There were a lot of mixed feelings after that race.
I wasn't happy with the time, but afterwards, I like,
I saw the time and was like, man, that's really, like,
I'm not happy with that, and then I realized
that I'd made my fifth Olympic team, and
you know, that was something that after London,
I didn't think was possible.
Taking some time off, going through some ups and downs,
and being able to get through the obstacles that I had to be
able to have the chance to swim on my fifth Olympic team.
It's just special to not only be on the team again
and represent my country, but also have the chance
to have my son come and watch my last swims ever.
He might not remember 'em,
but I'll have the memories for life.
I don't, I don't really live the normal life as a teenager.
I mean, I get a lot of, I give, I guess I give up
a lot of things, but, I mean, I'm getting tons and tons
of other things that normal 15 year olds aren't getting.
So, I think that, I think this is the life
that anyone could dream of, and I'm definitely loving it.
- Thank you guy so much for watching.
I made this video because sam229a asked me to.
So, if there's a famous entrepreneur that you want me
to profile next, leave it in the comments below,
and I'll see what I can do.
I also love to know which of the top 10 rules
from Michael Phelps had the biggest impact on you,
meant the most to you, and why.
Leave it in the comments, and I will join in the discussion.
Finally, I have to give a quick shout out to Kyu Lee-van.
Thank you so much for picking up a copy of my book.
For you guys watching, if you want a chance at a shout out
in a future video, make sure to grab the book,
but also email in your receipt so we can keep track.
Thank you guys so much for watching.
Continue to believe, or whatever your one word is,
and I'll see your soon.
(swoosh)