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When I am not practicing, teaching, enjoying time with the family, or writing, yet managing to not collapse into a heap on the floor; I enjoy riding my bicycle. I am also a big fan of bicycle racing, and I subscribe to a magazine called Cycle Sport, which covers the sport and its athletes. As I was reading Cycle Sport a few days ago, I came across a very interesting statement by Viatcheslav Ekimov. Now, I’m sure 98% of you have no idea who Viatcheslav Ekimov is. For a detailed bio, you can click the link above. If you aren’t wanting to invest that much time, all you need to know for the purposes of this post is simply that he is a two time Olympic Gold Medalist who is now 40 years old, and still racing competitively. Also, it is worth noting that he has completed the Tour de France an astounding 14 times. When asked how he explains his longevity and success in a sport where most athletes retire by the age of 35, he replied:
Organization keeps me in good shape, and it gives me motivation. I wake up, and I know what I am going to do today. Tonight, I know what I am going to do tomorrow.
Before I turned pro I was in cycling school for ten years (that’s USSR Cycling School), and the program was organized from early morning to late in the evening. When I turned pro I tried to stay the same way.
Simple, yet highly effective advice for most any walk of life.
I totally agree that a strict routine is productive for achievement.
My wife took up the flute as an adult and practices 1.5 hours every morning of her life and has achieved dexterity notwithstanding starting late in life. I am unaware of another adult learner achieving this.
Me? I practice (trumpet) when I can between other necessary jobs – and I can see her passing me in a year or two. And I’ve been playing since 14.
Good on ya, mum!