Adrian Moorhouse has known his fair share of adversity. In 1984 he was a "sure thing" to win Gold at the Los Angeles Olympics. He was expected to carry on the British tradition of Olympic Gold Medal breaststroke winners - Wilkie '76, Goodhew '80, Moorhouse '84.
It didn't happen. The pressure of expectation was too great and he came fourth. His self-esteem took a battering as a result of the pressure he put on himself and the newspaper headlines.
He had to rethink his strategy. He decided to work on his mental game. Physically his training remained much the same but the main work he did in the next 4 years was shifting his mindset. In 1988 he finally won his Olympic Gold. You can read more about that journey, the lessons he learnt about himself and the power of the mind in the book he co-wrote with Professor Graham Jones "Developing Mental Toughness".
I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago to ask his advice for people in this economic climate. As a businessman (he is Managing Director of a professional development consultancy called Lane4) and as a sportsman, what does he think people need to do to be successful in the coming months?
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