Author Archives: Marnie

Who keeps a done list? We all should. – A Year in Review

Posted on by
1

done listDecember always brings with it an onslaught of “Looking Back”, “Year in Review” or “Best of 20??” lists.

It never fails to amaze me how much that we can ‘forget’ happened in a particular year. When there is so much that we still want to get done remembering all the day-in and day-out work that we have accomplished is difficult. We often get so fixated on the work that is in our ‘to-do’ pile that we forget (and disregard) the work that is in our ‘done’ pile.

I’m not suggesting that anyone stop actively pursuing his or her to-do pile.  To come full stop, throw a “look-how-much-I’ve done” party and dwell exclusively on one’s own ‘done’ pile can lead dangerously toward entitlement. I believe entitlement is the antithesis of hard work and thus performance.

The challenge is to keep looking and moving forward and to stay connected with all that you’ve accomplished in the past. (hmmm. There’s that “Jammed Cat” again! See the video.)

Staying connected to the volume of work that we’ve already done and the tasks that we have accomplished helps us manage the stress that we put on ourselves as we push forward. Each of the tasks in our ‘done’ pile accumulates like a ‘grain of rice filling a cup’. They all contribute to our confidence as we continue to push forward and through our increasingly busy and challenging ‘to-do’ list; so why would we ever forget a single one?

Since January of this year, I’ve been writing a monthly mentor message that is directed at athletes and their support team who have been training for the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics. Their preparations began well before this series started but my goal was to become another resource for them to know that they are part of a bigger team, that they are not alone in their highly ambitious efforts and (I can’t stress this one enough -) that it is normal people like them who accomplish incredible things. The goal is for them to be absolutely comfortable with all of their ambitions.

With that in mind – I’ve jumped to the front of the “Year in Review line. Possibly the first of the year, (I still like being first 😉 )  Have a great December,

Marnie

Mentor Messages – A Year in Review Continue reading →

Finding answers from the ‘Don’t’ side

Posted on by
1

don't13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do – 

Digging around the internet I’m always looking for … stuff. Stuff that holds my attention, stuff that gets me thinking, stuff that teaches me something new – or reminds me of things I’ve forgotten. It seems that the following list by compiled by Amy Morin, a psychotherapist and licensed clinical social worker, originally posted in  LifeHack is the kind of stuff that appeals to me  – and apparently to many others. When I found it – it had over 185k shares and where I had found it, reposted by Cheryl Conner on Forbes’ web site , it had been viewed over 2.5million times.

Much of what we study to improve ourselves is from the perspective of what we SHOULD do… but that doesn’t always jive with how I think. Sometimes I find it easier to tell you what, or where I don’t want to eat vs what I do want to eat. Looking for an new job or career? The options can be so vast that we can’t even begin to articulate what we DO want to do – but can can be quite clear on the things that we DON’T want to do. Same with where you want to live, who you want to be with…  etc etc. There is nothing wrong with discovering your answers from the perspective of what you don’t want. In fact – coming at it from that side might reveal more options than you would have included from the perspective of what you do want.

The refreshing part of this list/article is that it’s not hesitant to articulate what mentally strong people DON’T do. And today – that’s the kind of stuff that is resonating with me.

13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do –

Mentally strong people have healthy habits. They manage their emotions, thoughts, and behaviors in ways that set them up for success in life. Check out these things that mentally strong people don’t do so that you too can become more mentally strong.

1. They Don’t Waste Time Feeling Sorry for Themselves

Mentally strong people don’t sit around feeling sorry about their circumstances or how others have treated them. Instead, they take responsibility for their role in life and understand that life isn’t always easy or fair.

2. They Don’t Give Away Their Power

They don’t allow others to control them, and they don’t give someone else power over them. They don’t say things like, “My boss makes me feel bad,” because they understand that they are in control over their own emotions and they have a choice in how they respond. Continue reading →

Be the one who steps up – Expectation is a weapon.

Posted on by
2

The whole point of my mentor messages is to help normalize what everyone who has ever been to an Olympics knows – the Olympics are different. We say the difference is more than just Citius, Altius, Fortius because families, sponsors, media and nations treat the Games differently, but who’s kidding who? – an athlete’s desire to go/be Faster, Higher, Stronger than anyone else is a massive part of why this year feels harder, unique, special, etc. etc to them. This month I really wanted to be sure that no one at the Olympics takes them by surprise.

When I was training for my first Games, the veteran on our team, Lesley Thompson-Willie, repeatedly told / warned us; “You have to watch out, people step-up in an Olympic year.” In an Olympic year there would always be at least one ‘dark-horse’ threat. Someone who wasn’t much to worry about in the previous year, she told us, would go home with a medal. As World Champions, she wanted to be sure that we didn’t get caught simply training for another year and then get passed by a dark horse, by those who were hungry – if not desperate – to succeed at the Olympics.

Have you ever been 4th in a really important race/competition? I was twice. My heart ached and I was consumed with a fire to do better next time. I became so hungry to win and, almost more so, desperate to not be broken hearted again.

Continue reading →

Why Fund sport.

Posted on by
2
Jim Cuddy, Simon Whitfield and Ed Robertson share a laugh with an emerging Cdn athlete at Future Olympians press conference

Jim Cuddy, Simon Whitfield and Ed Robertson share a laugh with an emerging Cdn athlete at Future Olympians Fund press conference

Yesterday, with Jim Cuddy, Ed Robertson and Simon Whitfield,  I was part of an announcement that will hopefully effect the health of the Canadian high performance sport system. But I’m hoping that it will effect more than that – way more.

The Canadian Olympic Foundation, in partnership with Gold Medal Plates has announced the creation of the Future Olympians Fund. The target is to raise $4million in 4 years and for that money to help young emerging athletes bridge the gap that exists just below the financially supported National Team level. This gap has been getting bigger and bigger as municipalities and provinces give less and less funding to sport and activity programs. In the increased absence of funding at this level – there are fewer and fewer canadians being taught sport at much more than rudimentary and recreational levels without a significant investment by their families. To often that becomes exclusionary.

I’ve explained the existing problem – somewhat colloquially  – like this… If Own the Podium is able to support teams/athletes who are Top 10 (in the World) to become Top 3 and to win… How are athletes expected to get to that Top 10 Level? The flow of developing high performance athletes filling the pipeline from playground to podium is critically low, and with a weak base the likelihood of sustained success at the top becomes less and less foreseeable .  This Future Olympians Fund is intended to support the Canadian Sport Institutes and change that.

“Why Sport? Shouldn’t I be giving to healthcare, education or community programs?”

But there is a bigger picture… I often get asked -“Why sport?” as in “Why should I financially support a bunch of athletes who are traveling the world and chasing their dreams? Shouldn’t I be giving to healthcare, education or community programs?”  At first I didn’t know how to respond, those are really important and essential things. As I matured and listened to people telling me what my influence, and the influence of my peers, has had on them – I came to a response that I am proud of.

People have told me (or my team mates) ;

  • ~Cheering for you was the first time we got to cheer for our new country. We just became canadian citizens that year.
  • ~I didn’t want to go to school/stay in school, but I kept going because I wanted stay with my team so I could be famous like you. (When you speak at a school, particularly if you’re in a TV ad – you are automatically famous!)
  • ~Being a competitive athlete has kept me from getting into (all kinds of) trouble. It saved me.
  • ~My mother had given up fighting (for her health) but when she saw you fight like that – she wanted to try harder too.
  • ~How do you learn to (row, bike, speed skate, do gymnastics, etc etc ) I want to learn!
  • ~Normally my kids just want to play video games all day. During the olympics – they’d watch the sports and then run outside pretending that they were doing those sports.
  • ~I stood on my sofa and yelled so loud at the TV! When you won – everyone in our house all sang O’Canada at the top of our lungs.
  • ~Thank you – I felt so proud to be Canadian

That is the influence that Canadian athletes have on Canadians. – That’s the REAL value of high performance sport.

So…  my answer to “Why Sport?”

  • ~Because sport makes us proud – What else has a nation rocking red and white with a glorious maple leaf at our heart?
  • ~Because sport, high performance Olympic sport, inspires Canadians; it teaches us that we can be as great as any other nation. It makes us proud. It encourages us to get up and try.
  • ~Because the people who do sport, high performance sport are the ones who will give back by volunteering, mentoring, teaching, coaching and officiating each next generation of Canadians
  • ~Supporting sport is supporting healthcare, education and community programs.

Supporting sport is supporting healthcare, education and community programs.

Speaking for my Olympic peers and all the athletes that I work with – who are preparing for ALL of the upcoming Olympic Games – thank you for your time, your efforts and … your money. Together we are building a better, healthier, prouder Canada.

Canadian Olympic Committee’s press release

Ed Roberston and Marnie McBean talk about the Future Olympians Fund on CBC Morning with Heather Hiscox