By Three-time Olympian Ruben Gonzalez

Would you like to learn how to become an “Olympic Champion” in your professional and personal life? Read on and you will. Because the mental processes that will make you a champion in sports are the same mental processes that will make you a champion in business and in life.

My name is Ruben Gonzalez. I’m a three-time Olympian in the brutal sport of luge. Most people don’t know what the luge is. In the luge we hurl ourselves down the mile-long icy bobsled track lying on a tiny sled. We reach speeds of 80 and 90 MPH and we don’t even have any brakes! Is that crazy or what?

I’m not just a three-time Olympian. I’m a lifelong student of success and peak performance. Over the years I’ve read hundreds of books and listened to thousands of tapes about what it really takes to succeed in business and in life. Then I listened to and did everything my Olympic Coach told me to do. And after all of that, I’ve come to the conclusion that success (in sports, business, and in life) is pretty simple.

Success comes down to finding an arena you are suited to play in, having the courage to get started, having the courage to not quit, and along the way having the attitude that you are willing to do whatever it takes for as long as it takes. Only then do you start experiencing massive success.

Success is simple but not easy. It takes mental toughness. And that’s what we’re going to be talking about in all of my future articles. How to become so mentally tough that you become like a guided missile that has its coordinates and will not miss.

When you read my story you will realize that the success principles I teach will work for anyone, anywhere, anytime. What that means is that they will work for you, right now, no matter where you are in life.

My story takes all of the excuses away. Because if someone like me can make it to the Olympics, then anyone, anywhere can use these principles to reach their dreams as well.

I’m not an athlete. I can’t jump high, I can’t run fast, and I’m not particularly strong. In fact all throughout school, I was always the last kid picked when they were choosing teams in P.E. Can you relate?

I’m not an athlete but I realized my Olympic dream three times! And it wasn’t because there was anything special about me. I’m an ordinary person. As ordinary as they come. I’m just like your neighbor. The only reason I made my dream come true is that I consistently and persistently followed some universal success principles. Principles you can follow to win more too.

When I was 21 years old I was watching the 1984 Sarajevo Olympics on TV and saw tiny Scott Hamilton win the Gold Medal in figure skating. Scotty inspired me. I said to myself, “If that little guy can do it, I can too! I’ll be in the next Olympics. I just have to find a sport!”

I did a little research, and started looking for a tough sport, a sport with a lot of broken bones, so there would be a lot of quitters and I could make it to the top simply by outlasting everyone else. That’s how I picked the luge.

Four years and a few broken bones later I was competing in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. I went on to compete in Albertville in 1992 and Salt Lake City in 2002. Three Olympics in three decades. In Salt Lake City I was 39 years old competing against 20 year olds. I was so much older than the other athletes in the Olympic Village that every day somebody asked me if I was a Coach! (By the way, you can watch my whole story on streaming video on my website).

Why am I telling you all this? To make you understand that ordinary people like you and I can accomplish extraordinary things. To make you see that reaching your dream is possible. You can reach your wildest life goals and dreams. If you want something bad enough and are willing to follow some success principles, success is just a matter of time.

In the next months I’ll share with you the principles of success and how to condition your mind for greatness by using the same mental training techniques Olympic Athletes use.

I recommend you re-read these articles and even use them in your training meetings. If you do, this will truly be a Gold Medal year for you!

Ruben Gonzalez is an award-winning keynote speaker and the author of the critically acclaimed book, “The Courage to Succeed.” His experiences as a three-time Olympian and as the owner of two businesses give him a unique perspective on how to conquer the corporate struggles of today. For his free 10-Part Success e-Course, visit www.StartWinningMore.com or contact him at 832-689-8282.