Which athletes inspire us the most to find the power within?

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A new study released today by Electric Ireland, reveals that Dame Mary Peters (52%) and Paddy Barnes (21%) are amongst those top Olympians who we can most relate to and inspire us most to find the power within. The survey amongst over 700 Northern Ireland respondents also showed female Olympians Dame Mary Peters (68%); former Irish athlete Sonia O’Sullivan (12%) and boxer Katie Taylor (12%) as the most popular Olympians of all time.

Electric Ireland, proud sponsor of Team Ireland commissioned the Northern Ireland research to encourage people to unlock their own innate power to realise their dreams and tap into their inner strength. Olympians currently account for only 0.0001% of the world’s population and over 92 percent of survey respondents believe it is an individual’s power within and inner strength alone which enable individuals to achieve Olympian status. 82% of people never envisaged themselves becoming an Olympian.

In addition, over half of respondents (53%) believe the only thing stopping them achieving their goals is themselves; almost 30% wished that had more self-belief to realise and fulfil their dreams and over 40% believe overcoming failure makes them stronger and more determined to reach their goals. The research also revealed that 41% of respondents are most motivated by getting fit, with 25% inspired by learning a new skill.

Clare McAllister, Sales and Marketing Manager at Electric Ireland commented:

“The survey has unearthed some interesting results – the fact that over half of respondents believe they are the only person preventing them from reaching their goals proves how vital the power within is to each of us. As a proud sponsor of Team Ireland we want to inspire the public and encourage people to look within themselves to find out what motivates, inspires and drives them. The Power Within is about trusting your instincts, visualising your own future success, and ultimately believing in yourself to overcome any obstacle to achieve a personal goal. It is about Smarter Living and simple ideas that make life better.”

Want to keep up to date with all things Olympics? Just follow the hashtag #ThePowerWithin.