Last night I had the opportunity to watch an interview of Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimming champion, as he spoke about his new book, No Limits. This book talks about how he set goals for himself and how this allowed him to achieve such astounding swimming feats.

Just hearing a little bit about Michael’s own story is an inspiration. As a child, he was diagnosed with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and had a difficult time focusing in school. He says that when he was introduced to swimming he taught himself to focus on his swimming goals. Later on, he was able to transfer this ability to focus to his school work and it turned his life around.

Michael Phelps seems to be a very genuine young man. He works with autistic children and has started a foundation to help promote water safety and advocate swimming for children. He’s definitely not sitting on his laurels in a mansion somewhere. To me, he is a true American success story and an American hero.

I look forward to reading his book and seeing how far I can push my own limits.