"If I can do that, then nothing else matters"- Michael Phelps shares valuable advice for people dealing with hardships

Michael Phelps shared a valuable piece of advice for people going through hardships. The decorated Olympian spoke about his mindset while facing challenges and shared how it is important to set the right expectations while making steady improvements everyday.

The American emerged as one of the greatest swimmers of all time with a total of 28 Olympic medals out of which 23 were gold, three were silver, and two were bronze. Phelps encountered multiple struggles in his career which spanned almost for two decades. Througout his journey as a professional swimmer, Phelps created a systematic approach to improve himself every day as he aimed to continue his pursuits to achieve greatness.

Michael Phelps spoke about his mindset in a conversation with Bhrett McCabe and compared his body to a five thousand piece puzzle in which he was trying to fit in one piece every day. This is similar to 'Kaizen', the Japanese technique that aimed to make a small incremental improvements every day.

Moroever, Phelps shared that one must focus on the controllables and push themselves to the best of their abilities rather than being worried about anything else.

"My body and what I'm trying to accomplish is a five-thousand-piece puzzle. How can I put one piece in each day? If I can do that, then nothing else matters, and the way that I can do that is by controlling what I can control. If I'm doing that to the best of my ability, then nothing else matters," he said.

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Michael Phelps opens up about his winning mentality

Michael Phelps watches United States v Australia - 2025 SheBelieves Cup - Source: Getty

Michael Phelps opened up about his mindset in his appearance on the Whoop podcast. The most decorated Olympian of all time shared that he liked to put some pressure on him self and stepped into the pool with the mentality to emerge victorious every time.

Moreover, along with a winning mindset, Phelps shared that he would like to analyze his performances, especially after losses, to make sure that it did not happen again.

“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,” he said.

Furthermore, Phelps shared that he expected himself to be perfect when he stepped into the pool for major events.