Putting money in the bank

The 2008 Beijing Olympics were awesome. Usain Bolt, Team USA basketball, Phelps, Walsh & May volleyball. I was glued to the TV every night for a week.

The most memorable moment for me, however, was Michael Phelp's 100m butterfly. Phelps came back from a huge deficit (he was in 7th place at the half-way point) to overtake Milorad Cavic in a thrilling finish.

Phelps won by 1/100th of a second.

Phelps (left) out reaching Cavic (right).

When asked about his success in a later interview, Phelps said:

When we train everyday, sometimes there are workouts you don’t like, don’t want to do. Bob says you’re putting money in the bank.

I guess I put a lot of money in the bank over the last four years, and we withdrew pretty much every penny in the bank. After Bob and I both grab a little break, it’ll be time to start depositing.

I love this analogy for everything that it stands for. Hard work, dedication, delayed gratification, the every-bit-counts mentality. It's a great motivator for overcoming road blocks and completing those mundane tasks.

So whether you're training for a 10k, studying for a Calculus III test, or learning Wing Chun.. put some money in the bank. You never know when you'll need it :)