Making Long-Term Plans Can Be Useful for Direction

I don’t know how much you’ve managed to catch of the Olympics. I’ve only dipped in and out, but I did stop to watch the closing ceremony last night. (I didn’t catch the controversial opening!) 

I make a point of watching at least ONE event. On Friday I watched men’s climbing… and I’m sharing and celebrating the success of Toby Roberts of Great Britain.  
 
He won the gold for the Men’s combined sport climbing.  
 
He’s 19. What struck me was not his age. It was the long-held motivation that led to the attainment of the dream. It was the age-old maxim that’s so true for so many leaders. There’s no such thing as an overnight success.  
 
He started climbing at 8 years old, and when it was announced that climbing would make its debut at the Tokyo Olympics, he was 12. He and his dad mapped out a plan.  
 
The plan paid off, though it caught him off guard as he sat chatting  
 
 
I dug in a little and here’s what I loved reading, because it’s true for so many of us that set out to do something that feels almost unachievable yet we go for it anyway:  
 
“I have been training for this moment my whole life …To say it hasn’t sunk in is an understatement. I imagine later it will be a flood of emotions. It is a goal I have been training towards for like 10 years.” 
 
Success is never an overnight thing. Becoming a leader is something you train for every day, whether you know it or not, you fail, you fall, and you get back on the wall. Just like this young man did.  
 
Well done to him and many like him for the hours and focus that they demonstrate, each one a shining example of what dedication and focus can do and achieve.  

I’m curious, do you have a long term dream or intention that keeps you moving in a direction?