What the Olympics Taught Me About Why Effort Isn't Enough

When I used to hear people talk about visualisation and manifestation, I’d roll my eyes and think, ‘Oh good, another woo woo conversation about crystals and fairies coming.’

I’m not proud of that. But it was true.

The problem was, I hadn’t seen a real example of it. Every time someone tried to explain it to me, it was vague and abstract, or it involved someone called Michelle with long flowy hair, a cheesecloth skirt and bracelets, who visualised her dream man - and he magically appeared.

Good for Michelle. I needed something more concrete.

And then I came across a study from the 1980 Winter Olympics, and I got it.

The study

A group of Soviet athletes were divided into four training groups in the lead-up to the Games. Each group spent their preparation time differently - some focused almost entirely on physical training. Others spent the majority of their time on mental visualisation - seeing their precise movements in their mind’s eye, in detail, and seeing the results they intended to achieve.

Group one: 100% physical training, no visualisation.

Group four: 25% physical training, 75% visualisation.

If effort is everything, group one should have dominated.

But group four performed the best.

The athletes who physically trained the least - but who spent 75% of their preparation time working on what they believed was possible - outperformed everyone else. And we’re talking measurably. In actual results.

Henry Ford said something that I used to think was just a motivational poster: “Whether you think you can or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This study is the proof.

What you believe shapes what’s possible. And your brain is running a version of that study on your life right now.

Where this shows up in everyday life

Think about the last time you tried to change something. A habit, the way you react or feel in a particular situation.

Most people approach change the way group one approached the Olympics. More effort. More discipline. Push through it harder this time. And that works… for a while. Until you have a hard week or a stressful moment at work, and the old pattern comes back as if the effort never happened.

That’s because effort was doing all the work.

Underneath the behaviour you’re trying to change, there’s almost always a belief that has been there much longer. A story about who you are, what you’re capable of, what tends to happen when you try. And that belief runs in the background and cancels out the effort. Every time. Without you realising it.

The people I work with who make the biggest shifts aren’t the ones who try harder. They’re the ones who get genuinely curious about what’s been running underneath, and who are willing to look at it honestly.

The question worth sitting with

When you think about the thing you’re working toward, what do you actually believe is possible for you? And I’m not asking what you hope, or what you think the answer should be. I’m asking what you genuinely believe - in that quiet part of your mind - is actually available to you.

Because that answer, more than the strategy, the schedule, or the effort, is what’s shaping your results.

The athletes in group four weren’t more talented, or luckier. They just put their energy into the thing that group one left completely untouched.

And it’s something available to all of us, not just elite athletes.

▶ I’ve made a new YouTube video on this. It goes into more detail on the study and where this shows up in real life. https://youtu.be/M_wQ1OC6c9o

And if this has made you curious about what might be running underneath your own patterns, I’ve put together a short free activity called What’s in Your Suitcase? It’ll take you about ten minutes and it might be one of the more useful ten minutes you spend this week. moonbeammonday.com.au/resources/your-suitcase

▶ 3 WAYS TO WORK WITH REBEKAH 

1:1 Coaching – Personalised work to shift the things keeping you stuck where you are, so you can switch off at night, think clearly under pressure, and lead with confidence - at work and at home. 

Book Rebekah to speak at your event – Keynotes and presentations that blend neuroscience, mindset, and real human connection. Designed for leaders, teams and events that want more than the usual “motivational talk.”

Bring her into your organisation – Interactive workshops and coaching that change the way your people think, communicate and show up… without the awkward role-plays or eye-rolls.