Joe Maloy, 2016 U.S.A. Olympic Triathete:
"Success - in anything - is about taking action."
Joe practiced M.O.V.E.! leading up to his 2016 Olympic journey -- and today he uses the M.O.V.E.! method of goal achievement for all kinds of goals.
Like anything worthwhile, my progression to the Olympics was a process. I started competing in triathlons as a competitive outlet because I missed racing for the Boston College Swim Team and the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol.
The process has always been about getting the most out of myself--seeing what’s possible. As I enjoyed the sport more, I invested more time and energy into the pursuit. That invested time and energy returned better results. Racing in the Olympics isn’t an end, but rather a continuation of that process.
Many people think the hardest part of the Olympic triathlon journey is the training, but that’s missing the point. Workouts are a chance to get better, and that’s the part I’ve always loved.
The most challenging aspects of the journey have been when I’ve needed to make choices that seemingly ran counter to my core values. I believe in helping others and in investing in my family and friends. It wasn’t easy to forgo stable employment, move 3,000 miles from home to live in a full-time training environment, or spend the majority of my 20s going to bed at 9:30pm every weekend night!
Delayed gratification comes to mind when reflecting on these examples. While striving towards any big goal, the path is not easy. It comes down to investing in yourself and trusting the process will make you a stronger athlete, a better friend, and more suited to compete in the world--athletically and otherwise.
The risk, for me, was to bet on myself. I believed in my potential to become a world class triathlete, but belief and potential only take you so far. Success--in anything--is about taking action. When you take action, you are deciding for something and against something else.
I think “risk” is really just an emotionally charged choice. Sometimes these choices work out the way we expect them to, and sometimes they don’t. In both cases, the result opens you to a world of new opportunities that didn’t exist before you took the initial action. I believe the process of making these emotionally charged choices prepares you to handle similar future situations. Through these choices, or risks, we create our own reality instead of accepting one that is handed to us. I'm not sure about you, but I’d always rather be an actor than a participant.
I’d of course encourage anyone reading this to set goals. They don’t need to be big ones, but they need to be viewed as things to strive towards and focus your efforts. It’s good to take actions that link effort to results, and setting goals is a great way to focus your actions in a targeted direction.
"Success - in anything - is about taking action."
Joe practiced M.O.V.E.! leading up to his 2016 Olympic journey -- and today he uses the M.O.V.E.! method of goal achievement for all kinds of goals.
Like anything worthwhile, my progression to the Olympics was a process. I started competing in triathlons as a competitive outlet because I missed racing for the Boston College Swim Team and the Wildwood Crest Beach Patrol.
The process has always been about getting the most out of myself--seeing what’s possible. As I enjoyed the sport more, I invested more time and energy into the pursuit. That invested time and energy returned better results. Racing in the Olympics isn’t an end, but rather a continuation of that process.
Many people think the hardest part of the Olympic triathlon journey is the training, but that’s missing the point. Workouts are a chance to get better, and that’s the part I’ve always loved.
The most challenging aspects of the journey have been when I’ve needed to make choices that seemingly ran counter to my core values. I believe in helping others and in investing in my family and friends. It wasn’t easy to forgo stable employment, move 3,000 miles from home to live in a full-time training environment, or spend the majority of my 20s going to bed at 9:30pm every weekend night!
Delayed gratification comes to mind when reflecting on these examples. While striving towards any big goal, the path is not easy. It comes down to investing in yourself and trusting the process will make you a stronger athlete, a better friend, and more suited to compete in the world--athletically and otherwise.
The risk, for me, was to bet on myself. I believed in my potential to become a world class triathlete, but belief and potential only take you so far. Success--in anything--is about taking action. When you take action, you are deciding for something and against something else.
I think “risk” is really just an emotionally charged choice. Sometimes these choices work out the way we expect them to, and sometimes they don’t. In both cases, the result opens you to a world of new opportunities that didn’t exist before you took the initial action. I believe the process of making these emotionally charged choices prepares you to handle similar future situations. Through these choices, or risks, we create our own reality instead of accepting one that is handed to us. I'm not sure about you, but I’d always rather be an actor than a participant.
I’d of course encourage anyone reading this to set goals. They don’t need to be big ones, but they need to be viewed as things to strive towards and focus your efforts. It’s good to take actions that link effort to results, and setting goals is a great way to focus your actions in a targeted direction.