Over the past few weeks I have been writing about how you can connect to your own inner hero.
I have looked at how values shape your actions, then we looked at the importance of having a vision, last week we discussed having determination and courage!
This week, in honour of it being both Valentine’s Day and the start of the Olympics, let’s look at 2 key “Inner Hero” concepts.
One is Passion and the other is to look at “who you are being” in any given moment.
Lets take on “Who are you are being”. This is in direct co-relation to the Canadian Olympic Team’s slogan at the Olympic games in Korea right now.
The slogan is, “Be Olympic”. Back in late January, The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) unveiled a new brand platform today that celebrates its athletes and highlights our shared values while challenging Canadians to think about what it means to ‘Be Olympic’.
The committee’s marketing team spokesperson, Derek Kent said, “We want to encourage Canadians to dig deeper and be inspired by our Olympians’ incredible passion for sport. Inspired by their values of determination, unity and resilience.”
The eight-week media campaign comes on the heels of a tease phase that has seen Team Canada social media channels highlighting Be Olympic stories as part of a 100-Day Countdown to the upcoming Games in PyeongChang. The Virtue & Victory ad features vignettes of each athlete story showcasing their values:
- Mark McMorris – determination, bravery;
- Denny Morrison – resiliency, courage;
- Dufour-Lapointe sisters – unity, strength;
- Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford – grace, excellence;
- Hayley Wickenheiser, Vicky Sunohara, Caroline Ouellette – leadership, excellence.
Do you notice something about the Values of each of these former Olympians? They are all connected to what it means to connect to your own inner hero!
They are also how these athletes show up! When the moment arises, they deliver. Call it clutch, call it timely, the bottom line is that they made a decision to be great when the time and situation called for it.
If you want to “Be Olympic” or be something, choose wisely. Ask yourself when it matters most, “Who do you want to be right now in this moment”?
Who do you want to be for your kids, your clients, your spouse or partner, for yourself, for your community or your team at work?
When you decide who you want to be, you totally can be Olympic ion your own true way!
Former women’s hockey great and Gold medalist, Hayley Wickenheiser commented on the “Be Olympic” slogan and campaign and had this to say, “Playing for Team Canada is one the greatest honours for any athlete. Every time you put on the maple leaf, you are representing Canadians and Canadian values. As Canadians, we have a duty to be leaders within the Olympic Movement and encourage all athletes to Be Olympic.”
The next time you get dressed for work or your business, or you put on your sweats to hang out with your kids, wear your outfit with pride and decide to be your best every day!
Let’s talk about Passion…and to start, I am going to share a quote by basketball great Michael Jordan! I mean who knew that basketball can be passionate?
As Michael Jordan once explained in an interview, “passion reigns supreme because it powers the hard work, determination, and creativity that ultimately allows great things to happen.”
Whether you’re a novelist, film director, scientist or CEO, passion is the deep motivator that gives you the wherewithal to work extraordinary hard at something even when the benefits are far off, uncertain, non-monetary, or purely internal.
Without passion nothing great can happen. You won’t deliver your best self or great work. You won’t go that extra mile for a client, or buy flowers on a Friday night for your wife…Passion to me is the glue that binds!
You can’t fake passion, you can’t put in a half assed effort in life and expect great results! You need to be all in and passion is the key to you being all in.
Passion matters because it correlates with the desire and capacity to go above and beyond the call to achieve superlative goals and outcomes. It’s often what separates average performers from extraordinary performers. It’s not entirely different from motivation, in that it is one of the key aspects of grit.
In a recent survey by Indeed…the job/career website, they discovered when polling recruiters that the number one concern when hiring someone was the lack of passion and commitment!
Wow!
You can’t fake passion!
But, how do you access your passion?
First place to look is to determine your why! Why are you at that job? Why do you love your business? Why do you pick your kids up at a party, when they are drunk?
Determine your why and you will unlock your passion.
Then look at your what! What is it that drives you? What is it behind the actions you take?
Inside your why and what, is where passion lives.
Get clear on those 2 and the how things in your life will happen, will just happen!
To tap into your inner hero, decide, who do I want to be? How do I want to show up and then add a healthy dose of passion to the mix and you’re life as a hero will be well underway!
Just bring your own cape, mask and tights!
Make it a great week!
David Cohen