Lessons From Phelps Life

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|At 23, Michael Fred Phelps has become an international sporting sensation.|
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|The young American swimmer has smashed seven world records and won eight |
|gold medals at the Beijing [Images] Olympics [Images], the first athlete |
|ever to secure first place so many times at a single Olympics Games. |
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|Given his success, it's easy to slot Phelps into the 'born achievers' |
|category -- at 23, he's established a glorious career doing what he loves |
|best, he's a millionaire, a world record-holder and the pride of his |
|nation. |
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|But hold on a minute -- is Michael Phelps really a born achiever? |
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|He may beg to differ. |
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|At the age of seven Phelps, the youngest of three children, was diagnosed |
|with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. For those not familiar with|
|the condition, ADHD is a childhood condition characterised by constant |
|activity, impulsive behaviour and the inability to focus one's attention |
|on anything for a short span of time. |
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|ADHD is treated with therapy and medication, but is not classified as |
|curable -- as per information on the website WebMd.com, about 60 percent |
|of afflicted kids carry the condition into adulthood. |
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|To help release his pent-up energy and to emulate his older sisters who |
|were also accomplished swimmers, Phelps took up swimming, starting to |
|outshine his peers right from the start. |
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|At the age of nine, Michael's parents divorced. His mother brought up all |
|three children single-handedly, encouraging them to follow their dreams at|
|all costs -- one middle-school teacher even told Michael's mother he would|
|never be a success. |
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|But successful Phelps is, and how. |
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|Yes, there are the occasional set-backs. Like the time back in 2004 when |
|Phelps, then 19, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol. |
|He was under the legal drinking age limit of 21 in any case and to top it |
|he was driving in an inebriated state. A repentant Phelps pleaded guilty |
|and was sentenced to 18 months probation, saying in court, "I recognise |
|the seriousness of this mistake. I've learned from this mistake and will |
|continue learning from this mistake for the rest of my life." |
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|So who is Michael Phelps? He was a regular kid who struggled with an |
|irregular condition and the divorce of his parents. He's young, he excels |
|at what he does and like the rest of us, slips up once in a while. |
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|And what life lessons do his struggles and successes hold for us? |
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|Deal with your own issues effectively -- Michael certainly dealt with ADHD|
|and his parents' divorce that way. His mother helped him cope up with his |
|condition and channeled his energy into what he loved. |
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|Cut out the drama -- Michael's story is inspirational but at the same |
|time, neither the young man nor his family have exploited their |
|experiences to sensationalise his life. They've told it like it is. |
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|Zero in on your strengths and overcome your weaknesses -- He was less than|
|an average student at school, but Michael was a passionate and dedicated |
|student of his sport. The young swimmer is known to have studied tapes of |
|his races over and over, zeroing in on mistakes and working towards |
|bettering himself constantly. Excellent is still not good enough. |
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|Remain focused on your goals -- At the Athens Olympics back in 2004, |
|Phelps was beaten by teammate Ian Crocker beat in the 100m butterfly. He |
|put up a poster of Crocker in his room to motivate him and keeps a list of|
|his career goals beside his bed. |
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|Pursue what you love with passion and put in a genuine effort -- Phelps' |
|dedication to swimming was apparent back when he was nine and began to |
|break national records in his age group. His commitment to what he does |
|has grown with him. |
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|It's not just his career and his unbelievable performance at the Olympics |
|that classify Phelps as a winner -- it's his story of inspiration that |
|makes him a real champion, a youth icon, somebody to look up to. |
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|SATBIR SINGH |
|PRESIDENT |
|MEMBER JAB WE MET CA |
|REDEFINING PROFESSIONALISM…… |
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