German seniors celebrate World Cup title

What added value does a former professional athlete bring?

• Having the goal in mind
  Where do you want to go in the medium to long term? This is the only way to develop an awareness of the meaning of the activity. The goal is focused and manifested.
• Mental strength
  It is often helpful to get away from thinking about results and concentrate purely on the present moment. Constant thoughts of the past and the future can drain your energy. If you want to achieve top performance in your professional life, you have to act consciously. So, it is better to concentrate on the phone and actively participate in the meeting instead of already thinking about the next task or maybe even somewhere else entirely!
• Willpower
  Willpower is like a mental muscle - trainable and indispensable for great success.
• Focus
  Never on obstacles and problems, but always on your own abilities, solutions and goals. Do not pay attention to things that are not within your own sphere of influence, this only costs unnecessary energy. Solution-oriented thinking gets you on the right track faster.
• Character building
  Because the best athletes are not always those with the greatest skills, but with the most stable personalities for the decisive moment.
• Team player
  Getting along with a wide variety of characters on and off the field is not easy for everyone. Athletes learn this in major stressful situations and can react flexibly.

An unshakeable belief in oneself also brings with it a very deep trust in the entire team and each individual player. These are precisely the prerequisites needed to be a top athlete at world level.

In order to progress as a team, you allow the opinions of others and incorporate them into decisions. Acting at eye level and in an appreciative manner brings great success. No expert, no matter how well trained, can win the game in today's mega-complex world on his or her own. The ability to cooperate is an important quality as a team player.

Without appreciation of the performance of each individual in the team, it will be difficult to stay on track. Everyone has a low point, everyone needs help and support. It does everyone good to hear from the club or coach how valuable their contribution is to the overall result.

Working and leading with passion not only makes you happier and more satisfied - passion can also lead the team to greater motivation and performance. Igniting fun and joy in the team is much more than a "nice to have". A good balance between tension and relaxation, as every athlete knows, is what brings success in the long run.

Being able to deal with mistakes and defeats is another important quality of athletes. Sport, like life, consists of bumps in the road from which one can always learn! Athletes can process these quickly, set new priorities and focus on the next task. Mental stability is the most important thing.

I thank Mercuri Urval for giving me the opportunity to continue to develop as a sports(wo)man!

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