Why All Olympic Athletes Rely on This One Game-Changing Habit
Unless you’re living under a rock, you may have noticed that the Olympics have been on for the last two weeks.
I don’t watch many sports, especially on TV, but there’s always something special about watching the Olympic Games unfold.
I don’t know if it's the undeserving sense of pride I have for my country or the mere admiration and empathy I have for the athletes, but I can’t help but marvel at the sheer level of talent on display.
These athletes, representing countries from around the globe, are the best of the best—the pinnacle of human physical achievement.
They run faster, jump higher, and perform with a precision that seems almost superhuman.
And what’s even more remarkable is that most of them are unknown and unpaid.
Of course, that’s not always true. Lebron James, Simone Biles, Michael Phelps, Usian Bolt.. These are all exceptions to the rule.
That said, the vast majority of athletes have dedicated their entire lives to a pursuit of excellence in their niche with little to no opportunity for fame or fortune.
Talent?
Yet, as I dive deeper into what truly sets these Olympians apart, I realize that it’s not just raw talent or a perfectly optimized body structure that brought them here.
Talent and physical attributes, after all, are only a piece of the puzzle.
Many people are born with natural abilities, but few ever reach the heights these athletes do.
What is it then, that takes an athlete from being merely good to being the best in the world?
Race after race, routine after routine. What is the secret ingredient that turns them into gold medalists?
Fascinated with athletes and performance I always find myself digging into the B roll scenes of their lives, examining their training regimens, their diets, their mental preparation, their coaching, and their histories.
Sprinters, shooters, gymnasts, climbers, weightlifters, surfers, you name it.
It isn’t always the hours they spent in the gym, though that is a factor. It isn’t the sophisticated equipment, the elite coaches, or even the cutting-edge science behind their training programs.
While all of these play a role, they aren’t the defining factor.
The real answer is simple.
Each sport requires a unique set of skills.
And there are an infinite number of ways to develop those skills.
Every athlete, across all sports, has a different equation, a different routine, and a different approach.
As I listened to their interviews, read about their stories, and watched documentaries about their lives only one factor was a requirement across each field: consistency.
Whether it was a swimmer waking up at 4 AM every morning to swim laps in the pool, or a gymnast repeating the same routine hundreds of times until it became second nature, consistency was the one element that every single athlete has in common.
Not just months of consistency, not just years, but a lifetime of it.
It is the unglamorous, often monotonous part of their lives—the endless repetition, the adherence to a strict schedule, the unyielding commitment to their craft.
Consistency is not about a single heroic effort; it’s about showing up every day, even when you don’t feel like it, even when progress seems slow or nonexistent.
It’s about putting in the work over and over again.
When we look at these Olympians, it’s easy to focus on the win.
But those moments are built on a foundation of relentless, unwavering consistency.
It’s the quiet, persistent work behind the scenes that truly kills the competition.
And that’s the secret.
Consistency kills—it kills doubt, it kills mediocrity, and it kills the idea that anything less than your best is acceptable.
It’s what transforms potential into reality, dreams into accomplishments, and good athletes into Olympic champions.
Consistency is how you accomplish anything worthwhile.
Own the Process,
Tim
Author of Mastery Monday
Student & Founder
