6 Pursuits for Michael Phelps to Consider

Charles Hartley, a free-lance writer based in New Jersey, has written more than a thousand published sports articles. He earned Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Journalism. In addition, he was awarded his Bachelor’s degree from Wake Forest University where he majored in English and Communications

In middle age some people yearn to share with others what they think might be wisdom, however limited it might be and how humble they are. To address my yearning, I feel the urge to share what I’ve learned, through much trial and error, that may benefit Michael Phelps as he enters the next phase of his life.

Please indulge me in this missive. Accept my apologies in advance if this comes across as presumptuous, preachy, and off the reservation.

First:

Read The Tender Bar, a memoir by a Yale-educated writer named J.J. Moehringer. This is an unforgettable story of a teenager, college student, and young professional growing up going to a neighborhood bar on Long Island, New York where he sees the same locals year after year. The bar scenes are all at once warm, poignant, funny and sad.

The book is a masterpiece, the best I’ve read in the past 10 years. It’s on my all-time top-five list. While reading, Michael will laugh with this guy, whose sense of humor has a flair and tone that stands alone. Like Phelps, Moehringer had a sad and strained relationship with his father, who left the family home while he was a boy and spent very little time with him.

Second:

Take public speaking classes to sharpen his ability to inspire people. With his credibility as the best who ever was at swimming, he could give talks to audiences that would be more inspiring than most speakers because he has accomplished what he set out to do. So many of us fall short. He did what the vast majority of us never do — he reached the pinnacle of his profession. There is no one better,  never has been, and probably never will be.

If he can practice giving speeches that are powerful and impassioned, he could help people believe in themselves more than they ever have. They would be more inspired by him than anyone else because of his staggering accomplishments.

Michael says his goal was to change the sport of swimming. By sharpening his presentations in public venues, he can change peoples’ lives far beyond swimming. He would be giving back even more of what he has to offer to mankind – a story of unimaginable success that makes us all believe we can pursue our goals and achieve them.

Michael’s story is endlessly compelling. It’s innate in humans to want to hear him share more about being the best. We gravitate towards greatness. We want to know how to be great ourselves. He can give us tips about how to get there.

Third:

Regardless of how many books he’s read or hasn’t read, he might take a class in English literature at a local college or university. One of the most important and life-changing discoveries is enjoyment, enrichment, and intellectual stimulation of reading a book, virtually any book. The experience is bound to be so moving that he will be inspired to read another book. Reading begets more reading. More reading generates more reading enjoyment and deeper experiences.

Immersing himself in a college English class will bring more insights into what his life of wonder means in the larger context beyond swimming, and the ideas and goals he may want to explore next.

Everyone I know who reads lots of books derives deep and profound pleasure and meaning from doing so. It changes and broadens their views of other people, places and ideas. It makes them think and live vicariously through the lives of other people whether fictitious or real. It usually makes them happier and more interesting, and interested, people.

Fourth:

Drive across America. Michael has flown around the country to various swimming meets and promotional engagements. That is fascinating in itself. But the experience of driving from one side of this country to the other gives you a better sense of how wide this nation is, how diverse in its topography and landscapes, what makes it so wondrous. Off the main highways there are people to interact with in local gas stations, convenience stories, and restaurants. In different parts of the country the people talk and act with disparate idiosyncrasies. It’s fascinating to take in. It makes you think and wonder what it’s like to live where they do and how your life might be different if you grew up there.

Driving through Kansas, he would be awestruck by a sky bigger than any he has seen. He will feel swallowed up by the baby blue and dozens of uninterrupted miles of cornfields. On both sides of a two-lane highway, while probably being the only car for miles, he will feel as if the green stacks are closing in on his car door.

Fifth:

Find a profession for which he feels the most passion and excitement. Do exactly that for as much of the day as he can. Life is too short to spend much time doing anything else, and he will be more successful at this than anything else. Avoid lukewarm interests. There are personality tests that, if he hasn’t taken, will give him deeper insights into the type of person he most instinctively is. Results will list job types best suited for him such as coaching swimming, flying planes, business management, or welding; whatever. He will be able to learn about clusters of similar type professions he could pursue.

With all his money he may won’t need to take a 9-to-5 job. He has a track record, however, for getting bored after sitting around for a while. He says he’s ready to focus on what he really wants to do next. Approaching this methodically, a skill he mastered in swimming, will lead him in the right direction to make the rest of his life enriching and meaningful.

Sixth:

Attend every one of Boomer’s many grade school and high school events. When his son has a school play he’s in or whatever, go to it. When he’s in a swimming meet, attend. Show up for every one he possibly can. Make being there an inviolate priority. This may seem implausible but it’s true: as much joy as he had swimming, he will have even more watching his child doing activities. Boomer will appreciate that his Dad attends because it will show that he cares. But Michael will appreciate the experience even more. There is nothing more fascinating and exciting than watching your child live his or her life. You see yourself in them. You marvel at what they can do and how they improve and compete. It will blow him away in countless positive ways.

And then, in what will seem to him like ten seconds, the day will come when Boomer is headed off to college. He will be much more on his own. Take in his childhood in every way you can. Select him as the priority over everything else. His son’s childhood whips by. Whatever else Michael may be doing won’t come close to matching the joy he will feel watching Boomer do his thing.

Not even all his Olympic Medals.

This is courtesy of and written by Charles Hartley.