Entrepreneurship Lessons from an Olympic Swimmer - Part 2

This is the second in series of articles on lessons for success learnt from a lifetime in sport by Olympic Swimmer Rehan Poncha.

In my last blog, I wrote about two character traits in my approach to sport that seem especially relevant in the context of becoming a successful entrepreneur. The first was having dreams, sometimes so seemingly impossible, that even I doubted I could live them. And the second was being stupid enough to just not accept defeat when it stared me in the face. Today, I want to elaborate on one more lesson that has stood me in good stead as part of my learning from a lifetime in sport. It's about setting priorities and valuing time.

A Stitch in time saves nine

As a swimmer you know every second counts. In fact even a fraction of a second is so crucial when it comes to a race. And as swimmers we work so hard on our stroke, that turn, the kick, that pull, wear suffocating bodysuits and so much more, all with this one goal of getting more efficient and saving time! As an athlete you learn to value time. The time you take to race measured by the clock, the time you spend training to make your dreams come true, the time you have in between to get all the other chores ticked off on your to-do list, and the precious few hours you have free for everything else.

Entrepreneurship Lessons from an Olympic Swimmer

"I never got this far in my dreams", famously said pro-golfer, Bubba Watson on being asked how it felt to win the Master's Championship. Like Bubba, it is these dreams that wake me up every morning to go and train, keep me motivated on tough days to grind it out and keep me believing that someday this effort will help me wake up to living my dream and more!

 

Every stroke brought me closer towards achieving my dreams.

Ever since I can remember, I've had two very strong character traits in my approach to sport, that I'd like to write about today, especially in the context of becoming a successful entrepreneur. The first was having dreams, sometimes so seemingly impossible, that even I doubted I could live them. And the second was being stupid enough to just not accept defeat when it stared me in the face.