At this TEDx event in Monaco, I shared my story and images from my sport that have helped me find a way to Achieve More With Less

As an athlete I would always try to fit things I enjoyed into the hard work. I would plan the off season training camps in places where I had something else to enjoy in between sessions. Where I could go diving or just enjoy a beautiful place. Or I would plan the sessions so they included some fun things I enjoyed along with the must-do stuff. I would make sure to balance routine and adventure. It was my way of staying motivated and refueled.

After my injuries I had so many specific things to train to make up for muscular imbalances, to prevent re-injury and to perform to my best skiing. I had to find ways to be efficient with my time spent training or I would have no time for recovery. I had to find ways to achieve more with less – both time-wise and energy-wise
I would juggle being healthy with being on the road and in the off season being a student with being a world class athlete.

I think I have truly adopted this ACHIEVE MORE WITH LESS approach to life – although I of course also get distracted and need to keep reminding myself daily.

It is not much different if you have any other kind of career. Or whether you have a family or not. You still need to take care of yourself to reduce the resistance in your life. And time and motivation is an issue.

In sports, when you are off balance you feel it fairly quickly. As athletes, our job is to learn how to tune into this and anticipate problems so we can keep moving forward. Just like we have to know how to tune out of it on game day. We know it is not a sustainable but that’s what makes it possible to compete at the Olympics with herniated discs for example.

Unfortunately tuning in and out deliberately is not a skill that is generally taught in life. The fact is that most people spend more time in the unsustainable zone than being in balance with themselves. Trying to put out fires around them and performing while literally burning out.

I share my story to illustrate with a clear example that drive is not enough for sustainable performance. Balancing the resistance is what will help you in the long run and let you keep that awesome flow.”