A 10-Year Brew in Bergen: Keep Your Priorities Straight
In 2019, Gustav Iden won the Ironman 70.3 World Championships in Nice, France.
Two years later, in 2021, he won the race again in St. George, UT.
Meanwhile, his compatriot, Kristian Blummenfelt, was also racking up accomplishments: the 2020 Triathlon Olympic Champion, a world best time for the Ironman that same year, and then he was crowned the 2021 Ironman World Champion in St. George, UT.
Just three weeks ago, 26-year old Gustav Iden won the Ironman World Championships in Kona, HI, breaking the course record in the process.
Oh, and it was the first time a rookie won on the island—a feat most said never could be done.
Between the two athletes—at least in the triathlon world—they own…
This has all been brewing in Bergen, Norway for a long time.
Over 10 years ago, these two athletes set their sights on all of these accomplishments.
In a recent podcast with Rich Roll, they talked about their success and their approach to training. Simply put, they swim in the morning. They bike in the afternoon. Then, they run. Often up to 8 hours a day. They also consume a lot of food. And, yes, they sleep…frequently.
That’s it.
For over 10 years.
On repeat.
Focused on one goal.
And, despite their success, they remain damn clear on their goals.
Next up, the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
For both of them—as Ironman World Champions—their is a lot of pressure to deviate from their goals.
A lot of pressure to defend their titles.
When pressed by Rich Roll—“will you come back to Hawaii next year to defend your title?”—Iden made it clear why they have been so successful:
“I wouldn’t say one and done but I wouldn’t come back first thing. For now it’s all about the Paris Olympics for me—2024. Yeah, it’s hard to keep your priorities straight when you have so many opportunities and you have so many things to do. So, I think for now it’s better to just say no and try to focus only on Paris.”
We all have “so many opportunities…so many things to do.”
Perhaps—at least when it comes to a BIG goal—to our detriment.
Some, I’m sure, are unavoidable.
But, maybe, some are because we think we can do everything.
We say yes to too many things.
As a result, we lose sight of our priorities.
And, I guess, that’s it:
What would it look like if you dedicated your life—let something brew for 10 years—to one goal?
In your domain, could you, too, own everything?
Wouldn’t it be fun to find out?
Maybe, moving forward, “it’s better to just say no and try to focus only on [insert your goal].”
Keep your priorities straight!