Former Olympic champion swimmer Michael Phelps opened up about striving for greatness and training hard in a career that spanned 16 long years. Phelps had made his debut at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, when he was just 15 years old. Motivational speaker Dr. Bhrett McCabe shared a video clip of his podcast with Phelps on his Instagram profile. In the clip shared, Phelps talked about dealing with success at an early age, as well as the valuable lessons he learnt along the way. Dr. McCabe mentioned a quote from Phelps' conversation in the caption of his Instagram post. He wrote, "When you love what you do, the work doesn’t feel like a burden — it feels like an opportunity. That drive to see how far you can run with it is what separates talent from greatness." View this post on Instagram Instagram PostPhelps remarked in the clip that if he didn't do it, somebody else would. In his words, "I wanted to be great, and if it wasn't on me, and I wasn't going to do it, somebody else was. So for me, I saw success, obviously, at a very young age, and I was like, 'Cool, how far I can run with this?' Because... I was intrigued. I was passionate, like I loved what I was doing. So, like for me, it was easy to go to practice."Michael Phelps represented the USA in swimming from 2000 to 2016, with a temporary break in 2012 due to his struggles with mental health. When Michael Phelps made an emotional confession about his struggles and the sacrifices needed in career Michael Phelps at the NASCAR Cup Series Championship Race [Image Source: Getty] Michael Phelps once recalled his struggles, as well as the unseen sacrifices he made to earn the status of a swimming legend. He shared a video edit made by a fan on his Instagram story around August 2025, with the following caption,"It starts w a dream...followed by goals. No one sees what happens next... the blood, sweat, and tears... to accomplish your dream."In another appearance on the Whoop podcast, the Olympic champion swimmer revealed why winning meant everything to him, and anything less than first wasn't acceptable. In his words, “I put the pressure on myself. I wanted to win every single time I got in the pool. I don’t like to get second. I don’t like to get third. I don’t like not making the podium. So, for me, it’s one place; it's winning. That’s it. If I don’t win, how can I make sure that never happens again? How can I make sure the next time I’m out there, I’m on top and not second or third?" (10:00 onwards)Michael Phelps finished his career with a whopping 28 Olympic medals [including 23 Olympic gold medals], which makes him the most decorated swimmer of all time. The American swimmer also won 33 World Championship medals [including 26 gold medals].