Mindset
What does it mean to be the GOAT.
The greatest of all time.
How many of those really exist and what can we learn from them?
Names like Jack Nicklaus, Micheal Jordan, Derek Jetter, Tiger Woods, Pele, Mohamed Ali, Louis Hamilton, Tom Brady, Bill Russell, Diego Maradona, Marcel Hirscher, Martina Navratilova, Jonah Lomu, Michael Schumacher, Hank Aaron, Wayne Gretzky, Roger Federer, Lionel Messi, Richie McCaw, Ingemar Stenmark, Lindsey Vonn, Serena Williams, Novak Djokovic, all household names from the annals of sports history.
I am sure you have names in your head I have not mentioned, there are many, many greats over the course of all sports history, and I’ve been intentionally biased to the history I have experienced.
There are names I do not know who have impressed in other parts of the globe, those who have left their mark on more then just their fans.
But even if we were to compile a list, the list would really not be that large, considering how many people have competed in sports over the years, and how many even do it more recreationally.
Being the very best, being the GOAT, well that’s a place reserved for a very special few.
Why am I writing about this subject you might be asking?
I’ve been blessed to experience the ascent of a GOAT.
I’ve watched one grow from a young athlete of 17 years old, into a legend at 30. The scary thing is how much more time he actually has in front of him when he has already ascended to the status of GOAT at just 30 years old?!
Mikael Kingsbury is the winningest Mogul skier in history.
He just won his 87th World Cup Moguls race breaking the record held by Ingemar Stenmark (Alpine Skier) for winningest Male skier in history. Only another GOAT, Mikaela Shiffrin has more Gold Medal podiums at 95!
To put that in perspective, the next closest Mogul skier in WC victories doesn’t even have half that number!!
So what have I learned watching a GOAT acend his mountain?
I can’t speak for every one of those listed above, or for those I have not listed, but here are the things I believe to be intrinsic to the nature of such beasts.
Passion
I don’t think you get to the top of anything unless it is your passionate pursuit. Some might say obsessive, but I actually believe obsession is the negative expression of passion. Passion is ALL-IN, but it’s all-in with a recognition that you are not alone, you need others to succeed, and you can’t ignore them or disrespect them in your pursuit of success.
I don’t know that all those listed above were able to live simply with passion and not obsession, but I do know the ones who discovered the difference along the way built exceptional lives in retirement from sport. Those who did not often struggled to make that transition.
Consistency
You just won’t get there if you operate in fits and starts. There is a monotony to greatness, a “do it just because” attitude mixed with a “gotta be connected” drive. Every day there is some connection to the things that need to be done to get better, and you just do them despite how mundane some of those things might be.
1% Better
After consistency rests the target of that consistency, always reaching a little higher. Always recognizing that you can be better tomorrow than you were today. You might not always be better, but you believe it matters. You recognize that when you’re sitting still others are catching up. You always do your best, even if your best is 80% of what is actually possible. You do the best you have now.
Commitment
There’s a reason for everything you do and everything has a reason. You know it, you accept it, and you are resolved to doing it. The question marks are left for right or left turns, not U-turns. You keep pressing forward, even when it seems that you might have slipped backward.
Joy
This is the sticky stuff, the magic of the GOAT. The real GOAT is participating with joy, even if this is not overtly expressed, it’s the feeling in their heart that is simply filled by being in it. You see it in their face, even in the hardest of times. They are filled with the joy of playing and competing.
Inspiration
The real GOAT, even if they participate in individual sports, pull others up, make others rise. They inspire all those around them to be their very best, Nicklaus had Watson, Ali had Frazier, Gretzky had Limeux, Russell had Chamberlin, and others in that list simply inspired whole teams and leagues around them.
Professionalism
The real GOATs carry themselves with a character of professional decorum, they treat those around them with respect, they do their best to show up even when they don’t feel their best. They are by no means perfect, but they do understand what they represent, how they represent, and how they inspire, especially those who one day wish to be like Mike.
This is what I have witnessed in the ascension of one young Mikael Kingsbury to the status of GOAT.
Should you wish to be your very best, these traits will serve you well, for they are universally shared within and aside from sport.
Get after your inner GOAT.
