Michael Phelps set another world record the other day. It’s hard to truly comprehend how difficult setting a world record is. Phelps is incredibly dedicated to his sport, where success is measured in fractions of seconds.
"Phelps' life is swimming. He has world records almost across the board in each of his events. He is a man who could win up to eight medals at the upcoming Beijing Olympics. His life is a tale of dedication that is almost unprecedented in the annals of a sport known best for demanding nothing but undying devotion from its athletes. Elite swimmers get up before dawn almost every day from childhood through college to put their head in the water for hours on end, lap after laborious lap.”
There is something to be said for individual sports like swimming, golf, and tennis. In those sports, there's no one to cover up for your mistakes, no blaming teammates, or team chemistry issues. It's just you out there -- alone. You alone are responsible for the outcome.
In those sports, and others like track and boxing, the pressure isn't on the team; it's on you and you only. The most successful athletes in these sports learn to deal with the pressure. In many cases, they thrive on it. It's what drives them and it's what drives Michael.
