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Business advice from an Olympic athlete
Matt Deseno
October 18, 2023
Business advice from an Olympic athlete
As an entrepreneur, the dream is that you own your business…
Not that it owns you.
The first time someone told me to block off an entire day from work — like not even check my emails — I liked the sound of it… but it felt unattainable.
To be honest, I felt a little bit of shame…
Because day in and day out, I was working to build my business and financial dreams, all while neglecting life’s bigger picture.
I couldn’t imagine not touching work for an entire day. Sure, I’d set a boundary to stop taking calls by dinnertime, but a week-long, work-free vacation? That wasn’t even on my radar.
Then, I heard a success story.
Not from an entrepreneur — well, not exactly… but it did come from expert business coach Dan Sullivan’s book…
It was a story from a retired Olympic gold medalist.
He boiled his success down to one distinct principle.
And if a gold medalist is sharing his secret, I’m listening.
Now, I’m challenging myself to follow suit.
Interested in joining me?
Today in 6 minutes or less:
✔️ 1 high-achieving principle to live by
✔️ It starts with a P
✔️ The scary side effects of burnout
✔️ Becoming an Olympic entrepreneur
1 HIGH-ACHIEVING PRINCIPLE TO LIVE BY
High-performing individuals are great role models.
But NOT for the reason you think.
Aside from their amazing accomplishments: making it to the Olympics, signing a record deal and becoming a famous performer, building a business thats mission connects with thousands…
They know how to live.
They prioritize a way of life that is seemingly obvious, but a lifestyle most of us ignore.
The way they live can be summarized by a principle of separation: dedicating specific, if not equal, quality time for practice, performance, and rest.
A cadence where each ritual gets its own chunk of time (entire days) for dedicated indulgence.
No skimping.
No over-exertion.
No performing all night to wake up early and continue the same grind.
Instead, there’s a personalized balance of performance, rest, and practice.
And both practice and rest are equally important to their ability to perform well.
IT STARTS WITH A “P”
If every day was a game day, athletes would dread their sport.
Artists would hate their music if they had to perform every night or had to turn out music in a studio every day of the week.
Both of these scenarios paint pictures of exhaustion, people who look unwell.
What’s the secret, then, behind sustained passion and well-being?
Not performing every day.
That’s right — as an entrepreneur, you need practice days, too.
Days to reflect on your sales game, to analyze the results, and to perfect your strategy.
… Without worrying about needing to perform your best sales call when the clock strikes noon.
If we're always 'on,' always in action, where’s the time for growth?
The truth is, there is no time.
We keep our heads down, following a fruitless cycle, crossing our fingers the results will come our way.
Having specific days set aside for development, brainstorming, and practice and others purely for sales calls and action allows you to sustain your momentum and work with clarity.
THE SCARY SIDE EFFECTS OF BURNOUT
If an Olympic athlete swears by rest, shouldn’t we too?
Entrepreneurship demands sacrifices, yes.
It demands you to sacrifice more time than an ordinary 9-5.
But it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice every habit or routine that makes you feel like… you.
You’re allowed to have your own boundaries, like getting 8 hours of sleep a night or enjoying breakfast with your kids without interruption.
It’s a careful balance, sure. But nonetheless, including rest in your schedule is important if you want to 10x or even 2x your business.
When your life becomes a monotonous schedule chasing after your very real goal… you risk burnout.
I know, I know. You’ve been warned about burnout from other business advice blogs.
Before you get ready to tune out, heed the side effects:
Crappy sleep
Sustained stress
Depression and anxiety
A suppressed immune system
And serious physical consequences that I don’t want to dampen the mood with
(Source: Healthline)
It’s a state of being that leaves you exhausted, stuck, and one that a good night’s sleep can’t cure.
A similar thing happens to athletes when they overtrain. Simply named overtraining syndrome.
A Medical Director at the Hospital for Special Surgery explains it as such:
“Repetitive, strenuous training without adequate recovery can lead to overtraining, causing a negative impact on how the athlete feels and performs.”
Recovery from overtraining syndrome takes time off — weeks, sometimes months. And included in the protocol is healthy sleep, nutrition, and mental health.
Over-working is real. And serious.
If you want to live healthily, happily, and achieve business breakthroughs, you need to address what’s not working and build a work-rest balance.
Listen to the athletes and their specialists: Rest is vital.
That’s why I’m challenging myself to not touch work on Saturdays.
It’s unnatural for me. And I haven’t followed through perfectly. But I think it’s going to be super beneficial.
Do you have a boundary or challenge like this in your life?
BECOMING AN OLYMPIC ENTREPRENEUR
Ready to see a different balance in your life? One where work isn’t your EVerYthING? Here's a simple action plan to get started:
Start Small
Choose one day. That’s it. And designate it for practice.
This day is blocked off from calls — yes, even sales calls — and anything that keeps you ‘on alert’. This day will be designed for reflection, discovery, practice, and development.
Then, choose a habit or time of day you want to commit to daily or weekly. This is your first stab at setting aside time for rest and recharging (if you’re not ready to join me on designating an entire day for rest). Commit to filling your cup during this time and see how it effects your productivity and growth.
Assess and Tweak
After a few weeks, evaluate your progress. Are you closing more and winning new clients? Do you feel stronger on calls as a result of having “free time” to practice? Has your productivity improved by setting aside recurring leisure time? Adjust accordingly.
Devote Time to Skill Building
On your practice day, dive into personal and business development. Brush up on sales techniques, reflect on the state of your business, study your industry, dive into big picture planning and the steps to get you there… and take a few of these days to just mentally reset. Practice days are meant to be refreshing and full of ease.
If you’re seeking a more structured schedule, take this weekly breakdown from a fellow online entrepreneur:
Mondays = Operations (emails, website updates, customer service requests, etc)
Tuesdays = Calls
Wednesdays = Content creation
Thursdays = Calls
Fridays = Planning (business strategy, product exploration, and idea development)
It’s a practice called “Theme Days,” and maybe it’s the organization you need to energize your work.
Want to feel liberated from the cage of your business? Set work-life boundaries. Can you tell how passionate I am about creating boundaries?
Creating margin in your life is the most powerful tool for progress.
When you're constantly performing and seeking to 2x your business, your workdays can feel pointless and put simply… utterly draining.
There’s courage in resisting the grindset mentality. Who knows? This could be the tweak in your routine that wins gold.
To profiting more and working less. 💸
-Matt
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