Want more success? Be more like a turtle!

Yup that’s what I said. Be more like a turtle. Let me explain.

Recently, I was rereading this article in one of my favorite magazines, Success Magazine. The interview was written about an Olympic Gold medalist, Nikki Stone..

To briefly explain …..When Nikki Stone was 5, she watched Nadia Comaneci score a perfect 10 in gymnastics at the Olympics. Nikki promptly made a podium out of the furniture in her living room to make the very important announcement that such a win is exactly what she would accomplish. Her mother responded with the wisdom that would carry her daughter through years of training, a devastating spinal injury and on to an Olympic gold medal. She told Nikki she must be like a turtle–soft on the inside, hard on the outside and willing to stick her neck out. The word picture was one that was easy for this determined young girl to remember. “What child doesn’t know what a turtle looks like?,” Stone told SUCCESS. “Mom explained that my soft inside was a passion for what I did, the hard shell represented focus and commitment to my goal, and the willingness to stick my neck out stood for confidence, follow-through and strong teamwork.” Young Nikki went to work immediately to become the best turtle she could be.

The story continues how she found her passion of wanting to become the best inverted aerial skier, the accident that left two of her back discs seriously injured and the months of excruciating pain and depression that followed. Each of the 10 doctors Stone visited told her she would never ski again. She had to train through the pain and to dig deep to build her own confidence again. The months that followed were extremely dark for Stone. “I fell into a deep depression.” she says. She trained through the pain. With less than a year to train for the next Olympic Games, Stone stuck her neck out and pushed toward her goal. She trained with intensity, consistently improving her strength, agility and confidence.

In 1998, Nikki Stone became the first American to win the Olympic gold medal in aerial freestyle skiing. Stone’s career achievements also included 35 World Cup podiums, 11 World Cup titles, four national titles and two Overall World Grand Prix titles. Today, she is a ski host and sports psychology consultant to competitive athletes, and has authored her first book, When Turtles Fly: Secrets of Successful People Who Know How to Stick Their Necks Out.

To your Success!!

Kathleen