Mindset? How Kate Strong has become a world champion triathlon in 14 months?

Today, I would like to share a story which resonates a lot with me. It is an inspiring story which i have listened from an interview by Olivier Roland (1) of Kate Strong (2). It resonates with me about a certain PERSPECTIVE to have in life which can then apply to any PARTS of your life from your career, your work or business project, your personal life.

The story is about Kate Strong and how she has become a world champion in triathlon in 14 months. In 2012, at 34 years old, she was well settle in her life. She was a business owner of a guest house in the Blue Mountains, working 7 days a week and 10 hours a day. At that particular moment, she decided at 34 years old to get out of her comfort zone and to win a triathlon. What's type of triathlon? Worth to mention, it is 3.8 km of swimming, 180 km of cycling and 42 km of running!!! Just THAT. She told her friends and family about her GOAL. Unfortunately, they gave her all the good reasons it was not possible. She did not have a great deal of support on that side. Nothing to stop her, she kept going to that GOAL of WINNING a TRIATHLON. She started to train ... up to 40 hours a week. For a guest house owner, her life looked like preparing breakfast, making bed, …, welcoming customers. How did she get ready for the triathlon? Well, first she started to think differently and focusing to be more productive towards her goal. One way, after doing the quick math, is that she needed to sleep less. As well, she needed to eat better for her body to be more productive. She carried out an experiment in order to find out the limits of that balance sleep/food. And she started to sleep 4 hours a day (6 days a week and a break the 7th day) and stop meat and milk and adapting further depending how her body was reacting. She has done that for almost 2 years. In parallel, she has built a community on internet to help her in having a positive and inspiring support and to get the experiment going week after week. After 6 months, she participated to her first triathlon and then 14 months later she win the world championship in 2014 in China. She has done a VERY BIG CHANGE in a VERY SHORT TIME. Usually, it takes anything between 3 to 5 years. She has done it in 14 months!!

From her perspective, what is it that has made the difference ?

• Her use of her Mind and MINDSET: she have believed in her GOAL since the start. She has believed it was POSSIBLE and she can DO it whatever the problem she would face,
• Get used to get out of her comfort zone: she stretched the possibilities. It is about doing thing to THE maximum for HERSELF,
• Create productive habits: she asked herself the question, how to maximise the time towards my GOAL? Easy one stopping TV ... and using any opportunities to go for a run by going shopping. She focused on the OUTCOME and got creative in ways to use her time,
• Never compare yourself to others. At each training run, she was visualizing that she was WINNING the triathlon. It is about seeing the OUTCOME. And very important, she was getting the FEELING which go with it,
• Build a community support for inspiration with a website.

What RESONATE for me about the story ?

•  It shows the importance of MINDSET : believe in whatever you want not matter what. The mind does not see the difference between what is real/true and what is imagination. LIVE it like it already EXIST,
•  It takes ACTIONS and MOMEMTUM to learn from it and move forward and upward. Take a small experiment but experiment every day.
• Get comfortable to be out of your COMFORT zone to push yourself and push the limits. Feel the fear and do it. It is that personal development and on-going GROWTH attitude. RAISING the bar every DAY and GOING for it.
• Keep going even if criticisms around. Believe in your dreams. It is never too late to CHANGE and TRANSFORM to the best you can BE.

What RESONATE for you? What is the experiment you can DO today in order to move forward towards your GOAL? Please share in the comments below.

(1) Interview of Kate Strong by Olivier Roland in French with English subtitles available. Link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6C3QFFezrZ0

(2) Find more about Kate Strong on www.katestrong.co