Future Focus - A lesson in creating uncommon career success from Usain Bolt

Glenford Smith, Career Writer

It is now official: sprint legend Usain Bolt will be defending his repeat 100m and 200m Olympic titles in 2016 at the Rio de Janeiro games.

Since his successful defence of both titles at the 2012 London Olympics, speculation has been rife about his next move.

Switching to the long jump or 400m has been considered as possibilities. Professional cricket and soccer have also been sports which Bolt has expressed avid interest in, as well.

Now, the conjecture is over.

During a recent trip to Auckland, New Zealand, he declared his decision.

"Rio is about going and defending my titles," Bolt said on October 8. "I don't want to try any different events at Rio because, at Rio, I will just defend my titles to show the world that there is a possibility that I can do it again. To do the three-peat, that is the focus."

Let's go beyond his words to discover a major secret of extraordinarily successful people which others often miss completely.

What Bolt's announcement means is that he knows four years in advance what he intends to create in his life.

He is decisive about what he is about. He is specific about what he intends to attain. He is specific about when he intends to achieve it. He is settled in his mind about what he'll be focusing on for the next four years.

Perhaps you've never really thought about it in quite that way, but it's an amazing realisation right there, if you do. Why is that?

Well, most people don't even have career goals for the next four months, never mind the next four years. I could go further and say, assuredly, that many people don't have specific career goals for the next four weeks, or even the next four days!

Now, admittedly, it's highly unlikely you are an Olympian, but the principle holds true nonetheless.

The most powerful practice to accelerate your career is to set definite goals and work hard on reaching each one, at a particular deadline.

Career and life success are about setting and achieving important goals. Merely taking each day as it comes is comfortable and relatively stress-free, but this approach prevents extraordinary achievement.

Most people don't set goals because they don't see how they're going to achieve them. Others fail to develop this habit simply because they can't decide what they desire in their careers one, five, or even 10 years from now.

What you'll find, though, is that once you decide on specific career goals to achieve, ways and means will begin to reveal themselves to you.

In 2008, Usain Bolt announced his goal of becoming a 'living legend' by defending his double Olympic titles at the London Olympics. He achieved his goal, thus proving the saying that 'the best way to predict your future is to invent it'.

Regardless of where your career and life are today, you can make the decision about what you desire it to be five years from now. Do it now.

Glenford Smith is a motivational speaker and success strategist. He is the author of a new book 'From Problems to Power: How to Win Over Worry and Turn Your Obstacles into Opportunities'. Send feedback to glenfordsmith@yahoo.com