This past week was one of reflection and fun.  I had a super discussion with Purple Patch Pro, Jesse Thomas, upon his announcement of retirement.  We captured the discussion on the Purple Patch Podcast -- which is unmissable -- listen here.  The chat took us down memory lane, but as we told stories of each other, but also bubbled up some really important and timely lessons around the performance journey.  The fun-poking and laughs were layered with really important aspects of what it takes to thrive through adversity, how to set a long-term lens to overcome obstacles, and why a big picture mindset is so important.

It is perhaps without irony that this same week I was sent this excellent video from Jim Collins, author of ‘Good to Great’. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvWWO7F9kQY

The video is tailored for business leaders in this time of adversity and is excellent, but the message of the story rings true for athletes.  It is well worth a watch.  While Jesse was never held prisoner or tortured, he did face several situations in his career in which he was in a Stockdale paradox.  He had to retain long-term belief in his journey while facing massive immediate truths about situations.  As an elite athlete, Jesse is not alone, as every single elite performer is going to come head to head with terrible difficult obstacles and challenges.  These challenges will be defining in determining the tapestry of the athlete’s journey and long-term story, but are often the catalyst for the most important and rewarding pieces of that story.

I think you will enjoy the video, and please take the time to reflect and consider your situation now.  I would urge you to reconnect with purpose and where you want to navigate over the coming couple of years.  I would also encourage you to control what you can control now to become the best version of yourself.  The rest will flow from it.

A big week ahead and a chance to thrive.

Cheers, 

Matt Dixon