If you want to be the best you have to do things that other people aren't willing to do.
Interpretation
To achieve greatness, one must be willing to make sacrifices and take actions that others shy away from.
This quote by Michael Phelps emphasizes the importance of dedication and hard work in the pursuit of excellence. It suggests that to stand out and achieve the highest levels of success, an individual must go beyond what is commonly expected or accepted, embracing challenges and making sacrifices that others may avoid. This mindset fosters resilience and determination, key attributes for anyone striving to excel in their field.
In practice
This quote can be used as motivation for athletes training for competition.
I want to be able to look back and say, 'I've done everything I can, and I was successful.' I don't want to look back and say I should have done this or that. I'd like to change things for the younger generation of swimmers coming along.
For so long, I looked at myself as literally a kid who was talented who would go up and down the pool. That's it. Nothing else. Very few people knew who I really was.
I don't want to be the next Mark Spitz; I want to be the first Michael Phelps
There are too many kids who are drowning for lack of water safety. That's something I'd like to do. Teaching kids to live an active lifestyle.
My goal is one Olympic gold medal. Not many people in this world can say, 'I'm an Olympic gold medalist.'
I know it won't be eight medals again. If you want to compare me to that, that's your decision, not mine. I'm going out there to try to accomplish the things that I have in my mind and in my heart.
I don't know anything about luck, but that the harder I train, the luckier I get.
If you're proactive, you don't have to wait for circumstances or other people to create perspective expanding experiences. You can consciously create your own.
There's no agony like [getting started]. You sit in a room, biting pencils, looking at a typewriter, walking about, or casting yourself down on a sofa, feeling you want to cry your head off.
One of the great movements in my lifetime among educated people is the need to commit themselves to action. Most people are not satisfied with giving money; we also feel we need to work.
Regardless of how you feel inside, always try to look like a winner.
To achieve your dreams, work is required. Suffering is optional.
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