I feel so out of the loop sometimes. The Olympics started last Friday and I didn’t know any of the U.S. athletes that were favored to win. Well, I’m sure Michael Phelps’ name crossed my consciousness, but not in any way that stuck. The imaginative creativity of the opening night ceremonies was such an inspirational beginning! And, I’m struck time and time again by how inspiring and amazing these athletes from around the world are.

As I see the Olympic athletes preparing for a swim competition or getting ready to attack the pummel horse I wish that I could get into their conscious minds. I imagine that I would see some athletes running a winning race through their mind’s eye for the thousandth time. I imagine that in the minds of less confident athletes I would see the negative thought or worry that just won’t go away…”I’ll never win,” “I’m not good enough,” “I wish that I had more time to train,” “If I don’t win a medal my life will be over..” I’m always hoping that they are envisioning success.

Once in a while I get an intuitive hit about who will win and who will not. I clearly sensed that the United States women’s gymnastic team would not get the gold from the first night preliminaries. No gold energy there. They were so solid where they were solid, but they kept performing outside the lines and unfortunately that’s not rewarded during the floor exercise. I’m so glad I don’t get deductions every time I get a little sloppy with my dream life manifestation work or I have nervous energy I can’t contain effectively.

Michael Phelps is so within himself in the most comfortable way. There are so many agonizing moments during the Olympics that’s it’s actually a relief to see an athlete so poised despite all the craziness. Now if only I could approach my busy schedule with such grace and “flow.”

Maybe the trick is to identify particular days that are my personal Olympics. I’ll start the day imagining the winning components that will make it a successful day. I’ll consciously be at my best and my most positively minded. I’ll keep mentally and intuitively limber and keep stress at a minimum. I won’t be intimidated by competitors, yet I’ll always be a good sport. And, most importantly, I’ll celebrate my successes, and not beat myself up when I fall short. It was enough to step up and “play” (such a better word than work).

And, the crowd is on its feet, cheering…