Just Concentrate on Execution – Inspired by Great Young Talent Penny Oleksiak

The incredible performance of an inspiring Canadian swimmer at the Rio Olympic Games, Penny Oleksiak, made me recall one important basic principle: to focus on execution instead of results.

Many Canadians will remember young Penny mostly for her 4 medals and especially her gold one (what a comeback in the last 25 meters). Personally, her silver medal got me hooked as I noticed her reaction. She was so focused on doing her best (execution) that she didn’t even consider the chance of winning a medal (result); you can see by her delayed reaction she was quite surprised by the end result.

When you think too much about the result, you can choke by anticipating you’re gonna win or when things are not going your way. For instance, in golf, sinking a 3 feet put can be pretty easy to execute; not so much if you think about the potential consequences, like winning the US Open or your 100$ friendly wager with your buddies.

As Penny has demonstrated several times during these games, the secret seems to be to concentrate you efforts only on doing the best you can and to forget the rest.

Furthermore, properly pacing yourself can be an important element to consistently keep up the quality of your performance and execution. In that sense, adopting the 12-Minute Approach can be a great catalyst to maintain your level of performance. As you use it more and more, you’ll see that this technique can be applicable to many aspects of your life. In many circumstances, focusing on staying relaxed may be your optimal and unique option.

So next time you end up in a situation that makes you nervous, keep in mind to go do your thing to the best of your abilities and don’t worry about the consequences, good or bad. In due time, you’ll reap the benefits of all your efforts. 

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