What Olympic Champions Say About Success

The OGM had the chance to ­interview Brad Gushue, ­Olympic ­champion in the sport of ­curling. A local resident of St. John’s, ­Newfoundland, Brad is your average all-Canadian guy on the outside, but on the inside he’s a fireball.

Sponsored by oil and gas industries’ FourQuest Energy, Brad continues an inspiring career in curling, and in doing so, he also inspires us all with his Olympic results. Here’s what Brad had to say:

THE OGM: What was your original vision as an athlete ten years ago? 
Brad: Ten years ago, I believed I was going to be an Olympic champion. We were fresh off a World Junior Championship, and I believed that, with plenty of hard work, we would win gold at the Olympics. I didn’t expect it would come as quickly as it did.

THE OGM: How did you architect your success all the way to being an Olympic Gold Medalist?
Brad: We developed a plan. We determined which team was the best in what area of the game and tried to figure out what they were doing differently than us. We then tried to incorporate some of the things they were doing and improve on them. A couple main areas that we addressed were physical fitness and mental preparation. We were one of the first teams, if not the first, to focus heavily on these areas. That ultimately paid off and has caused a huge shift in the way every team prepares now.

THE OGM: What would you tell others about achieving their goals and making their dreams come true?
Brad: Set your goals high. Put a plan in place to achieve them. It will take a lot of hard work along the way, and your plan will likely need constant adjustments. However, if you don’t have a plan, you will never achieve your goal.

THE OGM: What are your top five strategies for success in life?
Brad:

1. Hard work
2. Build a quality team around you
3. Learn from failure (cause it will happen at some point)
4. Believe in yourself
5. Celebrate your successes

THE OGM:  How do you honor mind, body, and spirit?
Brad: I try and take time every day to think. Just sit down and think about all the different things going on in my mind. I sometimes visualize how I want things to turnout. For my body and spirit, I try and celebrate every success. Whether it be going out for a nice meal or buying something for myself or taking a couple days off.

THE OGM: How do you see “competition”?
Brad: Competition is simply a measuring stick. I practice because I love to practice, and because I want to be as good as I can be at the sport of curling. Competition allows me to see if I have improved, and where I measure up with people that have similar goals. When you want to be the best, competition gives you motivation, because people don’t get to see how good you are in practice.

THE OGM: Please define a winner.
Brad: Someone that works extremely hard. Gives their best and believes in themselves. You can’t always win, but you can always put in a winning effort.