Much of what we experience in life results from a combination of talent and luck. The Olympians featured in GOLD! could only bet on themselves, but how they managed that risk was the difference between success and futility. They needed something that would deliver a future outcome that was downright unpredictable, uncertain and incalculable. They employed tools reducing the effects of luck so their talent would have a greater influence on the outcome. Untangling talent and luck is inherently challenging and the Olympians demonstrate how they managed risk by minimizing luck to experience world class achievements. By doing so, they simplified the competitive process by enhancing their sense of control. Luck can’t be improved, but talent can be developed. The principles applied by the Olympians shaped their decisions during situations where the future was not guaranteed, but delivered the outcome they were seeking. Olympic champions share their unconventional wisdom and counterintuitive thinking that only people at the very top know and do. Gold! provides the foundation where ability is the differentiating factor rather than luck.
