You may understand KatieHoff Anderson as a two-time Olympic swimmer and three-time Olympic medalist, eight-time World Champion and existing American record holder in swimming. In truth, she was as soon as promoted as the “female Michael Phelps” logging her very first journey to the Athens Olympics at simply 15 years of ages!
But it hasn’t been all sunlight and roses.
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Anderson missed her life time objective to protect an Olympic gold medal in the 400- meter freestyle by simply 0.07 seconds, sending her into deep dissatisfaction and self-reflection searching for her identity within and beyond swimming. She turned this journey into a book, called Blueprint, and in 2020 she established physical fitness training business SynergyDryland Most just recently she has actually partnered with LashLounge as an main brand name ambassador.
So, what are Anderson’s tricks for turning lemons into lemonade?
Here’s a take a look at the 5 lessons Anderson states she discovered as an Olympic swimmer to assist construct self-esteem
Embrace the suck.
“This is military slang for accepting something that is completely unpleasant but also unavoidable. It’s approaching and accepting the situation, no matter how bad it is. It’s also the biggest lesson I learned during my time as an Olympic swimmer. I experienced some really high highs but also some super low lows – and learning how to deal with the latter in a productive and healthy way is truly a learned skill. By learning to accept and move forward despite setbacks in my career and health, I was able to improve my mindset and build confidence that helped me in future challenges that came my way.”
Reimagine failure.
“There is no such thing as perfection, no matter how hard you work. Just because you didn’t accomplish what you set out to do doesn’t mean that you failed. In fact, failure often leads to opportunities you may not have originally had and teaches you to have grit and resilience. If you reimagine failure as a new opportunity – to improve, to change or to grow – you will come back stronger and more confident than ever.”
Focus on everyday wins.
“Solely focusing on your biggest goals can feel overwhelming and affect your mental health. For me, those goals were winning Olympic gold medals and living up to my nickname as the female Michael Phelps. Now, I focus on small daily wins. It can be anything from completing my daily workout to focusing an hour on “me” time. I am a girly lady at heart, and getting my lashes done at The Lash Lounge provides me an hour to concentrate on myself and leaves me feeling more positive and stunning. Focusing on smaller sized achievements eventually sets you up for accomplishing the huge ones.”
Changing course assists you grow.
“I named my book “Blueprint” since everybody has a plan when they begin going after an objective. The feature of plans is that they are editable– you can change and make brand-new drafts to stand out and progress as life unfolds. The Olympics challenged me to recognize it was all right to change my objectives and eventually my identity, and by doing so I discovered happiness and self-confidence beyond swimming. That development is vital.”
Fear makes something worth doing.
“Fear is paralyzing, but overcoming it is what builds resilience, character and confidence. Facing something that terrifies you and seems impossible is the only way you’ll improve for next time. My first shot at the Olympics, I threw up on the pool deck after my race out of nerves. It made worldwide headlines and nearly made me too intimidated to ever compete again. Pushing through only made me stronger and more confident – not only in my swimming career, but also personally as a public figure. I was able to overcome my fear and know that I can overcome anything I put my mind to.”
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