Determination: Sir Ben Ainslie

Don’t Tell Me The Score

Determination is setting course and refusing to let anything stop you, and it's one of the keys to the incredible successes of sailing legend Sir Ben Ainslie. Ben competed in 5 Olympic games, picking up 4 golds and one silver between 1996 and 2012. Then in 2013, shortly after having been knighted, Ben played an integral role in one of the greatest sporting comebacks of all time, in the oldest sporting competition in the world: the Americas Cup. He was drafted in with team Oracle badly trailing- and they fell to 8-1 and matchpoint down before Ben helped engineer a stunning turnaround to finish as 9-8 winners. Ben is now skipper and team principal of the British Americas Cup team: Ineos Team UK. Despite the Americas Cup having originated in Britain in 1851, no British team has ever won the 'Auld mug', and Ben and the rest of his team are working incredibly hard to become the first to do so, and this episode was recorded at Ineos Team UK’s state of the art HQ down in Portsmouth. Ben is one of the most determined people you will ever meet and has a fierce competitive side. Ben’s parents certainly had a sense of adventure that was passed on and they encouraged Ben to have a go and take chances when they presented themselves. And Ben did exactly that when he discovered his love for sailing, working incredibly hard to make the most of his talent and his passion. As a youngster he stood out for his willingness to make mistakes, which meant he progressed far more quickly than his peers. During his Olympic successes, Ben learnt the value of questioning the status quo, and looking to break the rules, but not the laws- an approach that can certainly be applied in any area of life. In this episode Ben also explains how confidence comes from repeatedly putting yourself under pressure and why it’s crucial to be honest with yourself about your own performances, rather than making excuses, to help identify your weaknesses so you can work on them and improve. He also talks about using anger as a fuel, the importance of trusting your own intuition, working on skills like developing patience, and much more besides.