We Can Learn From the Greats: Caleb Dressel
Lessons, through quotes, from Caleb Dressel
Olympic Champion, World Champion, World Record Holder
TO COMPARE IS TO DESPAIR
“I have some goals that I would like to accomplish to where I can consider myself to be great. And I don’t have to compare myself to Michael (Phelps) to consider myself great.”
ACTION ITEM: Identify what YOU need to do to consider YOURSELF to be GREAT.
EMBRACE/ENJOY THE PROCESS
Referring to Olympic medals, one of which he gave away to a teammate who swam in the prelims in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics: “I don’t keep any of that stuff. You guys should be jealous. I get to enjoy the race. I don’t need a piece of medal to remind me of that. I got to enjoy it.”
ACTION ITEM: Let the OUTCOME take care of itself. ENJOY what you get to do by EMBRACING the process daily.
KEEP IT SIMPLE. KEEP IT SINGULAR
“I think simple’s good. That’s why I enjoy swimming. It’s very primitive, very simple. ‘Let me see if I can go faster than you.’ There’s no judging, no scores, just time. ‘Let me get my hand on the wall faster than you.’”
ACTION ITEM: Strip your goal down to its ESSENTIALS.
A PENNY A DAY IS ALL IT TAKES
“I think greatness is found within mundanity, those boring little ticks throughout the day. I call it putting pennies in the bank. My coach calls it putting tools in the toolbox. I think that’s where greatness is found. People want to dream up the big, giant goals without putting the stepping stones along the way, and for me, that’s what gets you to that giant goal.”
ACTION ITEM: Deposit a PENNY today. Do the same thing TOMORROW. Keep REPEATING…
