Inspired by Phelps

By Ron Pereira Updated on January 13th, 2011

Where were you when history was being made?

I was pacing in front of my TV while holding my new born baby and screaming at the top of my lungs as Jason Lezak held off his Australian competitor in the 4x100m Medley Relay.

Once it was final, I sat down and quietly pondered what I’d just witnessed.

Michael Phelps is now the most decorated Olympian ever. At just 23 years old, Phelps has won 14 gold medals overall – 8 in this Olympics alone. He’s also smashed just about every world record in his path. And, while I am probably a little biased as an American, I think he’s done it with tremendous class and humility.

Others in his sport, like his old nemesis Ian Thorpe from Australia, made it clear that they didn’t think 8 gold medals could be won by one person.

Serbia’s Milorad Cavic, one of his present day rivals, said he thought it would be good for the sport if Phelps lost at least one race (I’m assuming he meant the 100m butterfly where Phelps beat Cavic by one-hundredth of a second).

None of this mattered. Phelps would not be denied.

It’s just hard to fathom how one person can accomplish so much over the course of 9 days and 17 swims. It’s also unbelievably inspiring for me personally.

What I’ve Learned

There are so many things to learn from something like this. The most obvious things are that we must prepare, work hard, and believe in ourselves.

Some of the other things I’ve taken away are to not let others make you angry when they “do you wrong.” Instead, if we can take that potentially negative situation and channel it positively we will be much better off. This is exactly what Phelps seems to do.

What about you?

What have you taken away from watching Michael Phelps make history? And if you watched the final race yesterday what were you thinking? Was you heart pounding with excitement? Mine sure was.

Subscribe to LSS Academy

If you enjoyed this article please consider subscribing to our full feed RSS. You can also subscribe by email and have new articles sent directly to your inbox.

Ron Pereira

Ron has more than 20 years of experience in various manufacturing, supply chain, and senior leadership roles. Ron has held the titles of process engineer, engineering manager, master black belt, and director of manufacturing & continuous improvement. In 2002 Ron was the first American to win the Nokia Global Six Sigma and Overall Quality award in Helsinki, Finland. Ron holds a bachelor's degree in automated manufacturing and an MBA in technology management.

Adam Sherman
August 17, 2008 - 2:32 pm
Reply

I too watched it with immense pride. As a former swimmer I can say his accomplishments are just mind blowing. For me I have always been amazed with his demeanor in both victory and defeat. He is what the Olympics are all about.