“I didn’t like who I saw in the mirror” – When Michael Phelps opined on his personal growth over the years

Michael Phelps, a 23-time Olympic gold medalist, is regarded as the greatest swimmer of all time. His journey from being a shallow 15-year-old kid in the 2000 Olympic games to ending his career as a legendary Olympian is very inspiring.

About two years ago, Michael Phelps chatted with Tony Robbins on his YouTube channel. He revealed various things that helped him grow as a swimmer as well as a human. Phelps revealed after his downfall in 2014 what he had to go through and how he bounced back,

"I was to the point in my life where I didn't like who I saw in the mirror, and super ATD, so I'm always bouncing off the wall. And have a ton of energy and kind of can't get me to shut up from time. So I always thought people were judging me, and looking at me differently."

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Michael Phelps talks about his journey to become the greatest of all time

The man who broke Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds in a single Olympic event is definitely not an ordinary man. Speaking to Tony Robbins, Phelps discussed his journey from being an 11-year-old to taking up swimming to becoming a legendary swimmer.

At the start of the interview, he was asked how different he is now from the 2012 Michael Phelps. He replied by stating that he had to work a lot on himself and he took up the mantra for himself,

"After my most recent downfall in 2014, I just decided that the world is not gonna show, I'm gonna show the world who Michael Phelps is."

Phelps at the Beijing Olympics

When asked how he took up swimming, he credited his coach, Bob Bowman, saying:

"When I was 11 years old, I started something with my coach. I saw him with my whole career, named Bob Bowman."

Influenced by coach Bowman's teachings, Michael Phelps took up swimming and everything else is history now. He also spoke about his relationship with coach Bob Bowman:

"I mean, I think the one real special thing about our relationship and why we were able to have a longevity is because we grew together. We had to grow together, because we were spending so much time with one another."

Phelps and Bowman at the 2016 Olympics - Previews

Michael Phelps discussed his growth as a swimmer after the 2000 Olympics. He explained how he did not just want to come up with a participation ribbon but the medals. He also shared how Bowman changed to a different style of coaching and the former broke a world record in just six months post-Olympics:

"I remember the very first workout we did as the meet's going on. Bob has WR written on the top of the workout, and I'm like, 'what is this?' Like, I know what it means, but like why are you writing it here? And he's like, 'because we're gonna break a world record in six months'. I was like, 'alright. Decided! Yeah! Let's do it.'"

Michael Phelps holds several records. He is also the holder of the 20 Guinness Book of World Records for his accomplishments as a competitive swimmer. In 2009, he was honored at the Maryland General Assembly.