Podcast: The High Performance
Published Date:
Fri, 22 Jul 2022 00:00:32 GMT
Duration:
8:50
Explicit:
False
Guests:
MP3 Audio:
Please note that the summary is generated based on the transcript and may not capture all the nuances or details discussed in the podcast episode.
This week's bitesize comes from the incredible Chrissie Wellington, a former British professional triathlete and four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion. She held all three world and championship records relating to ironman triathlon races and remains the world record holder for Ironman distance (8hrs,18 mins).
Chrissie's story is utterly incredible. Her name - and most importantly, her lessons - should be well known. In this clip Chrissie talks to Jake and Damian about the power of perspective. Watch or listen the full episode here: https://www.thehighperformancepodcast.com/podcast/chrissiewellington
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In this episode, the topic of discussion is the significance of perspective in achieving high performance, featuring the insights of four-time Ironman Triathlon World Champion, Chrissie Wellington. Chrissie emphasizes the profound impact of her time in Nepal, where she witnessed extreme poverty yet observed resilience and tenacity, shaping her perspective and inspiring her athletic journey.
Chrissie highlights the importance of recognizing the fortunate circumstances we often take for granted and the value of learning from diverse life experiences, even those that may seem unconventional. She emphasizes the power of seemingly insignificant actions, such as writing a poem on a water bottle, in contributing to a journey of high performance.
The episode delves into the idea that merely having a goal is not enough; it needs to be accompanied by a strong "why" that resonates from within. Chrissie stresses the importance of finding inspiration and purpose that drives an individual's pursuit of high performance.
The discussion also touches upon the concept of "world-class basics," emphasizing that high performance is not solely about extraordinary feats but rather about making consistent, small decisions daily. Chrissie's experiences and insights serve as a reminder that perspective and mindset play a crucial role in achieving high performance, and that seemingly insignificant actions can accumulate to make a significant impact.
[00:00.000 -> 00:04.640] Hi there, thanks so much for joining us for another bite-sized episode of the High Performance Podcast.
[00:04.640 -> 00:08.800] We fully understand that you can't always give up an hour of your time to listen to the conversations
[00:08.800 -> 00:13.600] we have on here, so what we do is we look back over past episodes, past conversations,
[00:13.600 -> 00:18.000] and we just focus in on one or two comments, and we go a little bit deeper on those,
[00:18.000 -> 00:23.840] just for three or four minutes, just to get you closer to your own version of high performance.
[00:23.840 -> 00:26.360] And today, we're going to wind the clock back
[00:26.360 -> 00:29.560] to episode 98 of the High Performance Podcast,
[00:29.560 -> 00:32.480] when we were joined by the incredible Chrissie Wellington.
[00:32.480 -> 00:37.040] Now, she is a four-time Ironman Triathlon world champion.
[00:37.040 -> 00:39.400] She competed despite the fact that at times
[00:39.400 -> 00:40.680] she had serious illness,
[00:40.680 -> 00:44.060] that she had to struggle through incredible injuries.
[00:44.060 -> 00:45.680] She's also worked for the government.
[00:45.680 -> 00:51.000] She's an author. She's a really deep thinking, spiritual, powerful person. And you're about
[00:51.000 -> 00:56.120] to hear her talk about perspective. And before we hear from Chrissy, let me just share the
[00:56.120 -> 01:09.360] one trick that I rely on every single day when it comes to perspective. I remind myself of the stoic quote, memento mori, which basically is a way of saying you're dying.
[01:10.560 -> 01:12.320] Now it's really easy to look at that and go, what,
[01:12.320 -> 01:15.200] what a horrible negative approach to life,
[01:15.200 -> 01:18.920] to remind yourself that every day you're dying.
[01:18.920 -> 01:22.440] And in fact, I'm going to get M M tattooed on the inside of my
[01:22.440 -> 01:26.000] wrist because I want this to be drummed home to me every
[01:26.000 -> 01:32.640] single day. And I think for me, it's a reminder that it could end at any time. So if it could
[01:32.640 -> 01:37.680] end at any time, if you were to leave your life right now, that needs to determine the
[01:37.680 -> 01:47.300] decisions that you make. That needs to determine what you do. It needs to determine what you say. It needs to determine what you
[01:47.300 -> 01:52.120] think. It needs to determine the people that you choose to spend your time with
[01:52.120 -> 01:55.240] and perhaps more importantly the people that you choose not to spend your time
[01:55.240 -> 02:04.860] with. Memento Mori. Remember death. And I come to the end of every day and I think
[02:04.860 -> 02:07.200] to myself, A, well, okay, good.
[02:07.200 -> 02:08.560] Today wasn't the day.
[02:08.560 -> 02:11.760] But also that's another 24 hours gone by.
[02:11.760 -> 02:15.040] And I'd like you at the end of every day, just to think to yourself, even if Memento
[02:15.040 -> 02:20.640] Mori feels a bit dark or a bit negative for you, just see every single day as a trade.
[02:20.640 -> 02:22.520] 24 hours.
[02:22.520 -> 02:27.600] Would you trade 24 hours of your life for the 24 hours that you've just had?
[02:27.600 -> 02:31.600] And I'm not, you know, one of these annoying people that says every single day should be
[02:31.600 -> 02:35.260] filled with, you know, doing the things that you want to do. I totally understand. We have
[02:35.260 -> 02:38.920] to have jobs, you know, we have to do the things that at times we don't want to do.
[02:38.920 -> 02:41.920] We have mortgages to pay and people to feed and the cost of living is going through the
[02:41.920 -> 02:47.600] roof. But it's not just about the things you do, it's the mindset you have when you're doing those things. Because it
[02:47.600 -> 02:53.000] is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Even when we're talking about the hardest things that
[02:53.000 -> 02:57.440] come our way, happiness can still be a choice. And we've spoken to people on this podcast
[02:57.440 -> 03:02.200] that have gone through the deepest, darkest traumas, and they chose a path of happiness.
[03:02.200 -> 03:07.080] So keep on doing that. Keep on making sure that every 24 hours you trade,
[03:07.080 -> 03:10.960] a 24 hours that you will never get back
[03:10.960 -> 03:14.240] for the 24 hours that you've just had.
[03:14.240 -> 03:16.600] Because it is a really big mistake
[03:16.600 -> 03:18.360] to think that you've got time.
[03:18.360 -> 03:20.460] Your time is limited, man.
[03:20.460 -> 03:21.540] So you gotta be you.
[03:21.540 -> 03:23.840] Don't let others drown out what you think.
[03:23.840 -> 03:28.660] Have that courage to do the things that you really wanna do. Don't be trapped by other people's thoughts
[03:29.240 -> 03:35.260] Time flies man, but you're the pilot so decide where you want to go. But just remember you don't have time
[03:35.460 -> 03:39.820] None of us including me including every single person listening to this podcast
[03:39.820 -> 03:44.700] None of us have as much time as we think we've got and I don't mean this in a negative way
[03:44.700 -> 03:46.800] I think it's really important just to finally just say,
[03:46.800 -> 03:48.120] this is not a negative thing.
[03:48.120 -> 03:49.760] This is a positive thing.
[03:49.760 -> 03:50.920] That should put a smile on your face
[03:50.920 -> 03:52.360] every single minute of every single day
[03:52.360 -> 03:55.080] because they're minutes of days that will never come back.
[03:55.080 -> 03:57.120] And that's how I think every single day
[03:57.120 -> 03:58.360] when it comes to perspective,
[03:58.360 -> 03:59.600] that's the approach that I take.
[03:59.600 -> 04:01.480] But here is the amazing Chrissie Wellington.
[04:01.480 -> 04:02.960] If you want to hear the full conversation,
[04:02.960 -> 04:09.120] go to episode 98 of High Performance. Here is a clip from Chrissie Wellington on High Performance,
[04:09.120 -> 04:16.680] talking about a number of things, including the power of perspective.
[04:16.680 -> 04:21.040] And how much would you draw on your experiences when you were in Nepal, when you were still
[04:21.040 -> 04:26.680] working for, was it Defra at the time? So you saw like crushing poverty,
[04:26.680 -> 04:31.120] you saw people with nothing making the best out of life.
[04:31.120 -> 04:33.160] How much would you go back to your own biography
[04:33.160 -> 04:36.240] and draw on those kinds of things for perspective?
[04:36.240 -> 04:41.240] My time in Nepal shaped me as a person
[04:42.160 -> 04:46.320] and definitely shaped me as an athlete.
[04:46.320 -> 04:52.240] And if I was to summarize what Nepal gave me in one word, it's perspective.
[04:52.240 -> 05:00.240] Because you can, you realize how much you have relative to others and how fortunate we are to live
[05:00.240 -> 05:07.840] the life that we lead. And you know, I saw resilience and tenacity firsthand.
[05:08.740 -> 05:11.420] And for me, that was incredibly inspiring.
[05:11.420 -> 05:13.960] But on a very personal level,
[05:13.960 -> 05:16.720] it was really the first time
[05:17.840 -> 05:21.800] that I challenged myself physically
[05:23.400 -> 05:28.480] and really created the physical foundations for, um, what
[05:28.480 -> 05:34.360] would, would become a professional sporting career and people often think.
[05:35.860 -> 05:40.780] That I came from nowhere as a sports person, but I think everyone comes
[05:40.780 -> 05:45.360] from somewhere and you're shaped by all of these amazing experiences in your life.
[05:45.360 -> 05:49.520] And some athletes, you're Serena Williams, you're Tiger Woods, you're David Beckham,
[05:50.240 -> 05:54.480] take a more conventional stereotypical path. And I certainly didn't travel
[05:54.480 -> 05:58.640] that path, but I traveled a path. And I think for me, it enabled me to
[06:00.560 -> 06:09.200] achieve what I did. So I was very much shaped by my time in Nepal and what I saw and what I worked on.
[06:09.200 -> 06:21.000] And it also taught me a lot about shaping change and how local people can be the agents, should be the agents of change
[06:21.000 -> 06:30.800] rather than it being imposed from above. So I've carried that kind of belief and understanding and philosophy through to what I do in my
[06:30.800 -> 06:34.120] career now and that was a really important learning for me.
[06:34.120 -> 06:37.120] I think there's also a lot of really important learnings for people listening to this.
[06:37.120 -> 06:42.160] I think one of the big takeaways for me is that I kind of exhaust myself saying to people
[06:42.160 -> 06:46.880] just by employing what seem like insignificant tricks,
[06:46.880 -> 06:50.200] you can make a real difference to your own life
[06:50.200 -> 06:51.520] trying to achieve high performance.
[06:51.520 -> 06:53.280] And, you know, we've just spoken about writing a poem
[06:53.280 -> 06:54.680] on the side of a water bottle.
[06:54.680 -> 06:56.440] It's not the only reason you became a world champion.
[06:56.440 -> 06:57.520] Of course it isn't,
[06:57.520 -> 06:59.880] but it was quite a big part of that journey
[06:59.880 -> 07:02.400] towards becoming a champion.
[07:02.400 -> 07:04.160] I just think it's really important
[07:04.160 -> 07:06.480] for people to listen to this and understand that
[07:06.480 -> 07:07.560] when you write down something
[07:07.560 -> 07:10.440] or when you take inspiration from a trip to Nepal
[07:10.440 -> 07:12.400] or putting a poem somewhere
[07:12.400 -> 07:13.680] or having something in your house
[07:13.680 -> 07:15.600] that really resonates with you,
[07:15.600 -> 07:17.600] I don't think we do it enough as people.
[07:17.600 -> 07:19.360] I think that we just assume, well, it's just words.
[07:19.360 -> 07:20.280] It's just a poem.
[07:22.280 -> 07:24.120] Finding the ability to translate that
[07:24.120 -> 07:25.460] into something that's inspiring, you are sort of the epit translate that into something that's inspiring.
[07:26.160 -> 07:28.920] You are a sort of the epitome of how powerful that can be.
[07:29.800 -> 07:33.080] It's been really useful to me in my life.
[07:33.080 -> 07:39.480] And it's also been really useful to have that, have that why, to have an
[07:39.480 -> 07:41.720] understanding, it's not enough to have a goal.
[07:42.280 -> 07:48.200] I think the goal, I guess, to have soul needs to have a why.
[07:48.200 -> 07:52.600] And I think that why needs to come from within.
[07:52.600 -> 07:58.320] Well, I hope that that short clip was of use to you.
[07:58.320 -> 08:01.760] I particularly like the bit about writing the poem on the water bottle.
[08:01.760 -> 08:05.900] You can hear that conversation if you listen to the full podcast episode with Chrissie.
[08:05.900 -> 08:07.900] But I think there's a lesson there,
[08:07.900 -> 08:12.000] that tiny, seemingly insignificant things
[08:12.000 -> 08:14.300] can get you closer to a life of high performance.
[08:14.300 -> 08:17.300] I think there is still this belief from people that
[08:17.300 -> 08:19.300] high performance is this really hard to achieve,
[08:19.300 -> 08:22.500] ethereal, difficult thing that's out there somewhere
[08:22.500 -> 08:25.200] that you have to scale mountains to get,
[08:25.200 -> 08:27.400] but it really is about world-class basics.
[08:27.400 -> 08:30.600] It's about making small decisions every single day.
[08:30.600 -> 08:32.740] Don't forget, if you want even more from High Performance,
[08:32.740 -> 08:34.480] then just for a few pounds,
[08:34.480 -> 08:36.520] you can get so much more content from us,
[08:36.520 -> 08:39.720] including ad-free episodes of the High Performance podcast.
[08:39.720 -> 08:43.240] All you need to do is subscribe to High Performance
[08:43.240 -> 08:46.080] plus wherever you get your podcasts. Thanks for
[08:46.080 -> 08:50.960] joining us though and we'll see you very soon for another episode of High Performance.