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Olympic Swimmer John Naber on Motivation

What makes a swimmer a great swimmer

By Mat Luebbers, About.com

John Naber, Olympic Swimmer

John Naber, Olympic Swimmer, Speaker, and Motivator

John Naber, Olympic Swimmer, Speaker, and Motivator
At the Montreal Olympics in 1976, the USA men's team had one of the greatest single team performances of all times. One of the noteworthy swimmers on that team was backstroker/freestyler John Naber, with four Gold and one Silver medal. He was the most decorated USA ATHLETE at the games. All of John's Olympic final swims were world records. Even in his silver medal event, the 200 Free (Bruce Furniss finished first, but both swimmers were faster than the previous world record).

John's successful achievements in swimming include:

  • 4 Olympic Gold medals (and a silver, too)
  • 6 World Records
  • 25 National Swimming Titles
  • 3 Pan-Am Titles
  • 15 NCAA Titles (and 4 team titles)
  • World Male Swimmer of the Year Title
  • AAU Sullivan Award
  • Honoree, ISHOF 
  • International Committee for Fair Play Award
  • Southern California Swimmer of the Year Title

How did John Naber become one of the best swimmers in the world? Luck? Great coaching? Genetic Gifts? Hard work? I believe the biggest factor was his outlook - his personality and mental skills - in short, his attitude. 

Following the Olympics, John completed college at USC and earned more swimming awards. After graduating, he moved on to become a successful sports commentator and effective motivational speaker. What helped him to transform his stellar swimming career into a successful business career? Luck? Connections? Hard work? Again, I believe the biggest factor was his attitude.

Attitude is something we can all control; John Naber talks about some of his experiences and views in a way that can help anyone that has the desire to succeed, whether in athletic, social, or business endeavors. As you will read in this interview, John has much to share on how to adjust your outlook and attitude for positive results. John sums it up by saying "Olympic champions are not extraordinary people, we are ordinary people who have accomplished extraordinary things in a limited area of our lives." You can accomplish the extraordinary as well...

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