John trained year round for 6 to 8 hours a day in an effort to achieve his ultimate goal of becoming an Olympian. During his quest he also found himself concentrating on variables that were nothing but distractions which were completely out of his control. He calls this "trying to control the uncontrollable."

John knew when striving to be one of the best his primary objective was to be able to stay totally focused on the one thing he could control, which was his work ethic. He began judging himself daily on his controllable efforts. John quickly learned that if he truly wanted to be one of the best at his field, he had to get through those repetitious and monotonous days. You know, those days that make us feel like a "robot."

He drives this point home in an unforgettable way, by performing daring skills on the pommel horse while wearing a shinny silver suit. He came up with five crucial points which he felt where his five most important keys to success. He takes these five points and molds them to fit into today's business world.




TEAM
Team is one of the first things forgotten when people are striving to be the best. One cannot go at it alone. The better you make the people around you, the better you make yourself.

OPPORTUNITY
Opportunity presents itself daily. Are you taking full advantage of it and are you looking for it in every aspect of your life?


RESPONSIBILITY
Responsibility is what sets us apart. How well do you make yourself accessible to your customers or clients? Do you respond to them ASAP? Or are you the person no one can ever get a hold of? Be responsible!

INITIATIVE
Initiative is a leadership quality that will get you far in today's busy world. Can you think for yourself and can you get the job done before being asked by your boss.

DETAILS
We know the small things can get annoying at times but they are without question, the difference between
being average and being the best. Are you doing the little things day in and day out that will make a difference in your life and your job?

John took his five controllable tasks and specifically designed a chart that reflected every training day he had left until the Olympic Trials. After his training each night, John would sit down and decide if his day was worthy enough of "circling a 10". After doing this, he realized that no matter how tired and broken down he was, he would still turn in a workday worthy of a perfect "10." When people start judging themselves daily, they usually begin to hold themselves to a higher standard. Ideally, their output increases because they learn that no matter what happens, you never want to have to tell yourself "I COULD HAVE DONE MORE." It is a simple yet effective concept that can be easily applied towards business, sports, or just life in general. Used as a daily gauge to maximizes one's efforts and accomplish all that is possible, "Circle a 10" is guaranteed to keep you on track. If you can "Circle a 10" at the end of the day, you can certainly accomplish your goals!

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All images © Dave Black, Jean Phillipe, Susan Williams