Four-time Olympic medalist and one of the world’s best swimmers, Kieren Perkins spoke to the attendees at the 2019 NIBA Convention about his journey and what it takes to consistently perform to the best of one’s abilities.
He stressed on the importance of always doing one’s very best and knowing how to regulate one’s emotions in situations of stress.
Perkins regaled the audience with anecdotes from his childhood insisting he was really bad at sports, with little hand-eye co-ordination but had parents who supported him in finding his own genius.
His parents’ ethos defined his idea of success, it was always doing his very best. The moment for Perkins, which showed him what was possible, was witnessing Glen Houseman breaking a world record in swimming during the 1989 Commonwealth Games Heats, in the 1500m freestyle.
Perkins said, “The key to performing to your best time after time is to get up every morning, doing the best you can do in that moment and keep at it consistently.” While he spoke about the importance of having clearly defined goals he stressed the need to enjoy the journey instead of only focusing on the high of reaching important milestones.
He also touched upon the futility of being stuck in the past, whether they were moments of success or failure, “The past is over, I can’t change it, I’ve learnt what I can and there is no point in revisiting it.”
Source: NIBA – Insurance and Risk
