Rinsing Your Cottage Cheese

Dave Scott won the Hawaii Ironman Triathlon six times. He uber-prepared himself to compete to win. Scott would bike 75 miles, swim 20,000 meters and run 17 miles - every single day! That's pure dedication to purpose. It's magnificent discipline. Indeed, Dave Scott was trying his very best to control all possible variables to improve his odds at winning each of his Triathlon events (Swimming, Biking and Running).

Scott was burning 5000 calories each day. He was slim and in excellent physical condition. This was a credit to his disciplined daily training regimen. He also understood the role good nutrition plays in being an elite athlete. Scott followed a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet to gain any additional competition advantage he could. Call it crossing all the T's and dotting all the I's. Scott left nothing to chance that might derail his winning potential.

How determined was Dave Scott? Well... He rinsed his cottage cheese to eliminate any excess fat surrounding each curd. Say what? That's right. In a strainer, he ran his cottage cheese under the water faucet to reduce fat content. You might say this seems a bit odd. You might even characterize it as obsessive compulsive behavior (OCD). But, to Dave this was just his way of taking nothing for granted and controlling all he could possibly control. He believed he was giving himself the best chance of winning by his every well-calculated action. Question is - was this OCD or shear discipline? Maybe it was a little of both. What mattered most to this dedicated athlete was winning additional Ironman championships. Scott was committed to doing whatever it took to win. And, the proof was in the pudding - he kept on winning. In combination, every single thing Dave Scott did added up and helped make him an even better athlete.

Let's be frank. We all should look to do whatever it takes to bring out the best in us - in whatever we do. No? At least, we should all want to do our very best to control whatever governing factors might impact success. We may never need to choose the extreme path Dave Scott chose to become a world class triathlete. But, having the discipline and the determination to accomplish whatever it is we set out to do still requires a much higher level of focus and dedication. You likely won't be "rinsing your cottage cheese" anytime soon, but you may wish to find a comparable equivalent. That is, if you really wish to get from just being good to being great at success.

______________________

Marc LeVine is a graduate of Syracuse (NY) University with a degree in Industrial Psychology, Marc is currently Talent Acquisitions and Learning and Development Lead at Thermo Systems. His prior employment includes senior Human Resources and staffing industry management roles with Edgewood Properties in Piscataway, Brickforce Staffing in Edison, InfoPro Inc. in Woodbridge and Plainsboro and Harvard Industries in Farmingdale, NJ, a former Fortune 500 company. He also served as Director of Human Resources for New Jersey Press, the parent company of the Asbury Park Press, Home News and Tribune and WKXW-NJ101.5. Earlier in his career, Marc served as Director of Career Services and Placement at Union Technical Institute in Eatontown and Neptune, NJ. In addition, Marc owned and operated Integrity Consulting Associates, a Human Resources consulting firm in Freehold for 11 years.