Dan O'Brien 1996 Olympic gold medalists in the decathlon tells the story of speaking to Olympic athletes and asking them "how many of you here tonight have goals" raise your hand "how many have them written down" "how many have those written goals with you tonight"....[no hands raised] followed by saying "there are no olympic gold medalists here tonight". Then I found this Visa ad in a National Geographic with Dan O'Brien wallet and olympic goal.
In his motivational speeches, Dan O'Brien often talks about how after failing to qualify for the 1992 Olympics, he had to redefine his goals, which included writing them down and committing to a "no excuses" approach to win the 1996 Olympics.
The Lesson: He emphasizes that while many people have goals, very few have them written down, and it is the people who plan to be successful (write down goals and make a plan) who actually become successful.
The Gold Medal: As a 1996 Olympic Decathlon Gold Medalist and3-time World Champion, O'Brien often shares this message to motivate others to overcome obstacles.
The quote you provided likely stems from his speaking engagements where he shares his journey from "no-heighting" in 1992 to becoming the "World's Greatest Athlete" in 1996, highlighting the necessity of having written, actionable goals.
