THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING

As it turns out, when Spanish writer Miguel de Cervantes famously coined the phrase ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’ he was on to something tasty — especially as it relates to our Olympic journey together.

It’s almost six weeks later since many of us united at Olympic Lab to share many important things in our pursuit together. And if the pudding is how far we’ve come in that short time, and the proof is…well…you, it’s no surprise that, like Cervantes, our recipe for success is turning out pretty sweet too.

Here’s a slide-show recap of the things we accomplished together in our quest to be the proof:

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Even if you were not with us at the Lab, you are still showing you have more confidence in what you can’t control. There is more comfort in knowing Team Canada is here to help. And there is more clarity on how you will react to situations. It’s exciting to see these things put into practice in our daily lives, as we approach a key milestone on our path toward PyeongChang. Like John Herdman said in his speech entitled Beyond Adversity … this is how we continue to “just be freakin’ good.”

SELF AWARENESS

“I know myself better.” - Ski Jumping Coach

This comment, on its own, is a win. Really, we can’t ask for anything more than to know ourselves better as we gather and sharpen the tools we need to prepare for Games. Self-awareness is a skill to be honed, one that is more powerful and often underrated. As individuals. As a team. Self-awareness is a little gem of a skill which allows us to operate with more authenticity and make those tough decisions when we have to. It’s this knowledge and this skill that will keep us on our path to realizing our performance potential.

REACTIONS

“I’ve been given all the tools and now it’s up to me.” - Ski Cross Athlete

We talked a lot about reactions at this year’s Lab, while trying to understand the process of how to react with our external environments to achieve a balanced performance. It wasn’t easy. It won’t get easier. And it’s different for everyone. However, by continuing to learn (as individuals and as teams) to react exactly how we need to in certain situations or environments in Korea, we grow. That is to say we get better and evolve as a team.

UNPREDICTABILITY

“I left (Olympic Lab) feeling like I could conquer anything.” - Curling Athlete

Bold. Sure, but why not? More precisely, why wouldn’t you conquer anything? That is what planning for the unpredictable means. No matter how much knowledge or experience we have – or how many Games we’ve been to — we know the Olympics are simply unpredictable. And we are ok with that. Sometimes we need to give up our desire for certainty about things that will always be uncertain.

BRING IT ON

It is, however, certain that things will never go entirely as planned. But what we do know is that teams succeed more often by being aware, and by following detailed and carefully rehearsed plans. This is what makes us more resilient in the face of whatever the Olympics can and will throw at us.

And in the end, when it’s all over, ‘the proof’ … you told us … ‘will be in the pudding’.