Growth Minded Accounting Professionals and Olympic athletes

Team USA received its 1000^th gold medal at the 2016 Olympics in Rio. Champion Olympic athletes are amazing to watch. They are evidence of what’s possible when you pursue a dream. This post explores how growth minded accounting professionals share similar qualities as Olympic athletes.

Pay attention to the similarities. Note how their performance can influence you and growing your dream firm.

History is occurring before your eyes as ordinary people, like you and me, compete for the gold. Witnessing these amazing athletes perform is inspiring. Like them, you can pursue a dream and intentionally turn your dream into your reality.

The driving force to succeed

Olympians are our nation’s role models. Tactical steps alone will not help you to achieve success. Mindset, focus and conviction is what drives them. They keep pursuing a dream where many others, who were equally talented, quit and walked away long ago.

The challenges of growth minded accounting professionals is similar to Olympic athletes. They must get athletes in the best physical, technical and emotional condition of their lives while not over-training them and manage a totally complex environment full of distractions, said Daniel Gould, Ph.D., CC-AASP, Department of Kinesiology, Michigan State University.

Like champion athletes, firm owners learn from experience. The breakthroughs, as well as the disappointments, each serve a purpose.

Like champion athletes, accounting professionals learn from experience. The breakthroughs, as well as the disappointments, each serve a purpose. Read full post. #getpaidwhatyoureworth Click To Tweet

Are you ready to pursue something exceptional?

Here are the top mindset qualities that growth minded accounting professionals share with winning athletes.

1. Necessary risks. Notice your pattern before starting something new. Or, taking a risk beyond your comfort zone.  You routinely follow a specific series of steps prior to taking action. Your mindset changes when you realize it’s time to stop researching and finally decide to action. This is like going from training to the real competition. Tension and circumstances create a delicate balance as you prepare to shift from research to action.
2. Focus. Most accounting professionals, like most athletes, mistakenly place their focus on things beyond their control. Culturally, winning, and not losing, are highly valued. Whether you win or lose involves circumstances beyond your control. Instead empower yourself by emphasizing the two things within your control, your attitude and your actions.  
3. Hard work. Growing your dream firm requires dedication. Unfortunately, some firm owners quit too soon. They stop right before a significant breakthrough. A clear purpose influences how you deal with things when it’s tough. Like Olympic athletes, you possess the capacity to push through the challenging moments. The accounting professionals who work closely with me realize it’s necessary to challenging their limits.
4. Recovery. More is not necessarily better. Continuing to push without ever allowing for recovery eventually leads to burnout. Even when it appears growth has stalled, maintain your momentum. This is similar to an athlete who’s reached a performance plateau.  No obvious signs of progress are evident. Under the surface, however, the body physically prepares for a performance breakthrough. Some of the best insights occur when you allow yourself to rest. It’s okay to periodically step away from the day to day operations of your accounting firm. This allows you to recharge prior to a breakthrough.
5. Perseverance. It’s easy to maintain composure when things are going well. Simone Biles, gymnastics gold medalist, is the greatest of all time (GOAT). Although she was leading the pack, she never lowered her standards. Biles believes there’s always room for improvement, even when she scores a perfect “10.” 
6. 

   Adaptability. Michael Phelps, swimmer, at 31 y/o is competing against much younger athletes. He dominates the pool. As a result, he’s now the most decorated Olympian in history. Years of training gave him insights to advance his skills while reducing injury.

7. Distractions. What you pay attention to matters. The trick is to choose where to place your focus. Boudia and Johnson, synchronized divers, don’t pay any attention to the scoreboard during competition. That’s because the numbers and rankings on the scoreboard causes them to over-think. Tuning into their next dive is more important than glancing at the points.
8. Visualization. Kayla Harrison, Olympic gold medalist in judo, has been visualizing herself winning in Rio. I visualize all my matches; who I could possibly fight and what I could possibly do to win. I visualize myself winning, getting up and running over and giving Jimmy [Coach Jimmy Pedro] a huge hug. Then I’m on top of the podium hearing the national anthem. Every night I do it a different way but by the time I get to the Olympics I will have already won in my mind, thousands of times.
9. Confidence.  Rowing is the ultimate team sport, with 8 rowers and a coxen. Each rower must be equally strong in their position. In the women’s 8+, chemistry and depth combined for them to claim the gold. There are no singular heroes in an 8+. Each individual contributes for the greater good of the team.
10. Adversity. Michelle Carter, women’s shot put, is on a mission. She is challenging the age-old stereotype about large women. Carter is determined to prove that you can be big, strong and beautiful. As a professional make-up artist, she combines Olympic gold with crimson lipstick.

The inside scoop

Now you have the inside scoop of an athletes Olympic mindset. Growth minded accounting professionals grasp the power of a champion mindset. Get inspired. Act beyond your comfort zone. Achieve results.

Get inspired. Act beyond your comfort zone. Achieve results. Read full post. #getpaidwhatyoureworth Click To Tweet

How many of these qualities do you already possess? Now choose one mindset quality you want to strengthen. How will that make a difference for your firm?

Adapting this new mindset means letting go of a current thought or belief. List the milestones you’d like to achieve with this new mindset. Growth minded accounting professionals seek long lasting results. A simple, easy to follow routine is your winning formula.

Ready to challenge your limits? Discover how to get paid what you are worth and attract clients who understand your value. Right NOW claim your FREE RESOURCE to earn more while working less and build your dream firm.