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Excellence is Rebellion

Michael Phelps didn’t just work hard. He was different. While most swimmers took Sundays off, Phelps trained every single day for five years straight. That’s 1,825 consecutive days in the pool. Fatigue, burnout, or even boredom would have been concerns for most swimmers, but Phelps wasn’t most swimmers and had no desire to be. His coach, Bob Bowman, points to a simple decision to just outwork everyone as a turning point in Phelps’ career. He swam 70,000 to 100,000 yards a week, often training twice a day during that time. Phelps even slept in a high-altitude chamber to simulate thinner air and boost his endurance.
If that wasn’t different enough, he also embraced outside the box methods like intense visualization, which happened to pay off bigtime for him. Before every race, Phelps would mentally rehearse every stroke, every turn, every possible scenario - even something as random as the possibility of his goggles breaking … like they did in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. No problem, he had been there before. Phelps still won gold and set a world record.
Phelps rebelled against tradition. He rejected the idea of “normal” training, “normal” rest, and “normal” limits. He chose to be different. And that difference made him the most decorated Olympian in history.
Why Should We Care?
Leadership and excellence are much more about standing out than fitting in. Phelps’ story is a masterclass in rebellion against mediocrity. Leaders who want to build something extraordinary must be willing to do what others won’t. That might mean working when others rest, thinking when others react, or believing when others doubt. Nonetheless, you can’t be the same.
In a society that rewards conformity and comfort, choosing excellence is a radical act. It requires saying no to the easy path and yes to the hard, weird, lonely one. It means building habits that others don’t understand and making sacrifices that others won’t make. It means holding a vision that others have never imagined, can’t even see, and often don’t want to see. 
Excellence creates gravity. When we choose to operate at a higher standard, we lift others with us. Teams rise to meet the energy of a leader who refuses to settle. Rebellion to excellence is more than personal, it’s contagious. When we choose to be different, we give others permission to do the same. 
When we rebel against the status quo we normalize ambition, discipline, and vision in environments that often reward comfort. The ripple effect of our rebellion can redefine what’s possible for everyone around us.
REAL TALK - Action Steps
So how do we channel our inner Phelps? Here are three ways to start rebelling toward excellence today:

• Audit Your Norms 
  
  • Identify one normal behavior in your routine that’s holding you back and replace it with a habit that aligns with your highest goals. Before we can change we have to become aware. Take the time each week to audit your routine and identify norms that don’t align with where you want to go.
    

• Check the Margins
  
  • Excellence compounds in the margins. Like we’ve said in this blog before - you ain’t gotta love hard work but you gotta be okay with it. Excellence knows no other way than through sacrifice and hard work - which is exactly how it should be.
    

• Visualize the Worst
  
  • Prepare for chaos so you can perform with calm. Mentally rehearse worst case scenarios, perform pre-mortems. This insight is not only valuable, but the confidence that comes from knowing exactly how ready you are is even more important to your rebellion. 
    

Excellence is the daily decision to be different. By defying the average and embracing the discomfort that greatness demands, we begin to accept and eventually appreciate our own uniqueness. And once the confidence in that starts to flow, it doesn’t stop.  

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