If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Image by Vedia via Flickr

In my previous post, I discussed how some athletes like Jelena Jankovic and Ana Ivanovic can seemingly falter as soon as they reached their goal of being world no.1.

However there are also some athletes who somehow found the drive to excel night in night out, year after year. Here are some outstanding examples.

1. Michael Jordan won six NBA Championships, while winning every single individual accolates that can be won by a NBA basketball player.
2. Roger Federer, had been the world no.1 for a record 237 weeks, winning twelve grand slam titles enroute, before relinquishing his throne to Rafael Nadal earlier this month.
3. Tiger Woods, age 32, has already won fourteen majors, 65 Tour events, and he already have more career majors wins and career tour wins than any active golfer.
4. Pete Sampras, former tennis world no.1, finished as World No. 1 on the ATP rankings for six consecutive years, a record for the open era and tied for third all-time.
5. Barry Bonds, has a record-setting seven  Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player awards, including a record-setting four consecutive MVPs. He is also a fourteen time All-star, eight time gold glove-winner and holds numerous Major League Baseball records.
6. Michael Schumacher, seven-time Forumla One world champion, is the only Formula One driver to have an entire season of podium finishes.
7. Lance Armstrong, not only survived testicular cancer but he is also the only person to won the gruelling Tour de France a record-breaking seven consecutive years.
8. and the list goes on…

Why is that some athletes can stay at the top for so many years, while others struggle to stay at no.1 for just a few weeks?

What drives an athletes to pursue the same award and championship every year?

The Answer - They Do Not Win the Same Award

What do i mean by they do not win the same award? After all, Lance Armstrong wins the same Tour de France seven times, while Michael Jordan win the same NBA Championship trophy every year.

I believe Michael Jordan would be bored if he thinks he is getting the same thing every year. That’s not exactly how the top sportsmen motivate themselves year after year.

Phil Jackson, Michael Jordan’s coach at Chicago Bulls, would set him a new challenge every year. When they won their first championship, their next goal would be to win a consecutive championship. Once they achieved that as well, they set an even higher goal - to be only team after NBA hall of fame Bill Russell’s Boston Celtics to win a three peat. That was what kept Jordan going!

Exciting challenges, or rather the lack of it, is also the same reason why Jordan chose to retire in 1994. MJ said in his retirement interview:

When i lose the sense of motivation to prove something, it is time for me to walk away from the game of basketball.

Jordan made his comeback in 1995. However he was far from his best, and failed to help the team reach the NBA finals. In fact, it was his many mistakes during the Eastern Conference semi-finals against Orlando Magic that largely contributed to the team’s loss in that series.

Setting New Goals Drives Michael Jordan

Phil Jackson gave him a new challenge for the new season. He said:

“Nobody have ever come back and help a team win a championship”

He wanted Jordan to challenge himself to help his team win a championship after returning from retirement. With that new challenge in his mind, Jordan would push himself in that Summer, training harder than ever before. In the 1995-1996 season, the Chicago Bulls would set the best regular season record in NBA history with a 72–10 record, that still stands to date.

The Bulls easily won the NBA playoffs that year. Jordan had achieved his goal of being the first player to help a team win a championship after coming back from retirement. Amazingly, Phil Jackson and Jordan set even higher goals! Jackson wants Jordan to be the first player ever to help a team win a three-peat after coming back from retirement. (A three-peat is considered one of the hardest thing to achieve in most team sports)

The rest, as we know, is history as Jordan won his 2nd three-peat with the Bulls and retire after that.

Once You Reach Your Goal, Set Even Higher Goals

The reason why Jankovic and Ivanovic and possibly many other athletes falter as soon as they reach their goals, is because they do not have anything to look forward to.

With no bigger goals to look forward to, they lose the drive to win. When they take to the courts, without the same purpose, focus, hunger to win, they would not be able to bring forth their best performance.

Ironic as it may seem, success can be one’s greatest enemy - if you do not know what to do when you achieve it.

However, if you want to be the world no.1 and you want to remain there, keep setting higher goals for yourself. For example, In tennis, after you reach world no.1, an exciting challenge would be to win the Tennis Grand Slam - to win all four majors in a singel calender year.

Define Your Own Legacy

What definition would you like to see if your name is in the Oxford dictionary?

Your legacy is only defined by the imagination and audacity of your dreams. Being world no.1 is a route that many have traveled before you. Why be contented with something that many have already achieved?

Make no doubt - being the world no.1 is an outstanding feat. However If you want to be truly outstanding, if you want to leave a lasting impression on people long after you leave the sport, you have to define your own legacy. What do you want to be the first person to achieve?

Michael Phelps said he wants to be the first Michael Phelps to achieve 8 Olympic golds in one games, not the second Mark Spitz.

Michael Jordan wants to be known as Michael Jordan, not the next Dr.J.

What do you want to be known for?

>> Setting New Goals By Itself Would Not Guarantee Success - Subscribe to my feed to find Out in my future post on how you can always stay at the top of your game!