There are few things left to be said about the spectacular Olympics we witnessed in London.

The 10,000 athletes all had Olympic dreams. Some were realized, while others had their hopes dashed as they fell short of their goals.

As Americans, we had overwhelming reasons to be proud of our topflight athletes, even when they didn't bring home medals. Anyone who viewed the events couldn't help but be impressed.

As a delighted spectator, I can say that I also had Olympic dreams. And mine came true.

Again.

I have been attending every summer Olympics for 40 years. And I think the 17 days my wife and I spent in London were probably the most electrifying of all. I have watched athletes young and old exhibit a level of concentration and dedication that astonishes me. I always learn a thing or two, frequently not related to sports.

For me, the Olympics are a metaphor for how to succeed in life and business. Of the 40 events we attended, these were my favorites:

-- Persistence will win the day. When 15-year-old Katie Ledecky dove in for the 800-meter freestyle race, she was hardly the favorite. Commentators feared she had too fast a start and wouldn't be able to sustain her lead. All she knew was that she was swimming the race of her young life. The youngest member of the American Olympic delegation had to swim for a half-mile and maintain an exhausting pace to beat the crowd favorite, Great Britain's Rebecca Adlington. Katie looked fabulous with a gold medal draped around her neck.

-- Teamwork is essential for success. The USA men's basketball team of elite all-stars are accustomed to being the center of attention on their NBA teams. They spend their regular seasons trying to beat each other on their opposing teams. To defeat Spain for the gold, they had to contain their egos and deliver their best efforts -- together. As they mounted the awards platform with arms linked, they demonstrated their commitment to teamwork and to their country.

-- Follow your passion. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh Jennings had already won gold at the last two Olympics in beach volleyball, and contemplated whether the London games were in their future. Despite the other plans each pursued, the Olympics were never far away from their thoughts.

-- Work as hard as you can, then work harder. The games are full of stories of athletes who defied all odds to be able to compete. What could be more inspiring than watching South African sprinter Oscar Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated before his first birthday? To me, this was without question the most amazing event to watch.

-- You are the only one who can limit your potential. Michael Phelps got off to a disappointing start, finishing fourth in an event that he should have dominated. Was that a wake-up call for the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time? He came shining through, medaling in the rest of his events. He is the proud owner of a record 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them gold.

-- Set goals. Usain Bolt was defeated in Jamaica's Olympic finals in June, so he rededicated himself and became the greatest sprinter in Olympic history. He won the 100-meter and 200-meter races and anchored the men's 4x100-meter relay, which set a world record.

-- Visualize your dreams. The Fab Five of women's gymnastics had a huge challenge against the Russian team. They knew that a single misstep could end their dreams. These athletes are too young to remember when the USA last won women's gymnastics gold in 1996, but they all spoke of being inspired by the 2004 games -- when they were about 8 years old -- and their dreams of Olympic gymnastic success.

-- You've gotta have a little fun. The pageantry of the opening and closing ceremonies was magnificent, but is it really necessary? Absolutely! These celebrations are gigantic, larger-than-life events that are meticulously choreographed and executed to make sure everyone is having a great time. As much as I love the athletic competitions, I wouldn't miss these two extravaganzas.

Mackay's Moral: Maybe you can't win a gold medal for your job, but you can still be a champion.

"What makes me happy?" It's a question we all should ask ourselves periodically, since all of our actions should, in some way, be directed toward achieving happiness. Initially, thoughts of riches beyond imagination may fill your mind. Or your thoughts may center on the car/house/job of your dreams. If you are honest, you will probably find it to be a more difficult question than you would expect.

Abraham Lincoln is purported to have once said, "Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Abe knew what he was talking about, and in the final analysis, I think you will find that the only thing that can make you happy is you.

Happiness is just a state of mind -- so are anger, sorrow, disappointment and loneliness. The mind is the most powerful tool in the universe, but you are the one who controls it. Like your car, if you see your mind heading in the wrong direction, you can steer it the other way. You need to recognize when you have negative feelings and go a different direction. You don't want to be dwelling on the situation that brought you to that emotional state.

Of course, it is easier to steer your mental car toward happiness if you have directions. That brings us back to the question, "What makes me happy?" By answering this question, you will be drawing the map. Try an easier question if you are stuck: "What has made me happy in the past?" My guess is that it was not something material.

My definition of happiness is not the fleeting, live-in-the-moment feeling that accompanies a birthday present. Rather, I think of happiness as a way of life. Truly happy people may have difficult times, but they know how to bounce back because they know better times are possible -- and probable. They are content to have more positive thoughts than negative ones. They also understand that their happiness depends largely on how much happiness they share with the people around them.

Happiness is a powerful, addictive narcotic. Step into the bliss often enough and you'll carry it with you and seek situations that perpetuate it. Build a powerful reserve of positive feelings that will carry you through the tough situations that life throws at you.

Studies have shown that too much stress can inhibit your immune system, causing many of the health problems that plague our society. Heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcers, migraine headaches and mental illness are just a few of the health issues that have been linked to excessive stress. So in addition to improving the quality of your life, reducing your level of stress and increasing your happiness may also help to save your life.

Researchers at the Institute for Aging Research at Albert Einstein College of Medicine questioned 243 people who were 100 or older. According to a blog for pharmacy technicians at cphtcentral.com, researchers "found that centenarians tend to share certain personality traits (in addition to other factors, like genetics). In general, these long-lived people are:

-- Outgoing,

-- Positive-minded about other people,

-- Full of laughter,

-- Open with their emotions,

-- Conscientious and disciplined,

-- Unlikely to obsess about anxieties or guilt.

"The scientists point out that these characteristics don't necessarily represent a cause and effect relation�ship. They did notice, however, that in many cases the personality traits they observed weren't necessarily lifelong tendencies, but behaviors their subjects learned as they grew older. Focusing on the good and not worrying about the negatives may have a positive impact on overall life expectancy."

So now that you know what finding your bliss could do for your quality of life, why wait? Organize your life so you have time to do the things you love.

I am not advocating that you abandon all responsibility. Life's pressures are going to prevent you from playing golf seven days a week, and even sunsets start to look alike after a while. You may not be able to quit your job to become a professional singer. However, the more attuned you are to what truly makes you happy, the more your life will align itself with the things you value and treasure.

As Albert Schweitzer said, "Success is not the key to happiness. Happiness is the key to success. If you love what you are doing, you will be successful."

Mackay's Moral: Only you can draw the map of the road to your happiness.

Because I do a lot of public speaking, I have developed a deep appreciation for top-notch speakers. So when I was brainstorming and looking for a real showstopper to address a group of businesspeople I am mentoring, I asked Darren Hardy, publisher of SUCCESS Magazine, to be one of our presenters.

Darren is in the rare position to interview the most celebrated achievers on the planet to discover how they have created their extraordinary success. Astute SUCCESS readers use the advice to achieve more and lead greater fulfilling lives.

Darren's message, three productivity secrets of superachievers, was a real eye-opener.

No. 1 might surprise you, because so many people want to know what successful individuals do to create great results, but the answer is just the opposite. It's not what they do at all -- it's what they don't do, according to Darren.

Saying "yes" is easy, he said. There's no hassle in saying yes. The master skill, however, is saying "no." No is hard because it can cause conflict in relationships.

When Darren got a chance to interview Warren Buffett, he asked the question that everyone wants answered: "What would you attribute your grand success to?" The key to Buffett's great success was this: "For every 100 great opportunities that are brought to me, I say 'no' 99 times."

Darren asked Steve Jobs, "Of all the things that you have built and created, that have changed the world, what are you and Apple most proud of? His answer was, 'I'm as proud of what we don't do as I am of what we do.'"

Distinction No. 2 of superachievers is to learn to focus on the vital few.

"A lot of us try to become master of many things," Darren said. "We try to be great at a lot of things, and as a result, we don't ever become world-class at a few things. Look at Olympic athletes, entertainers, Nobel laureates or Albert Einstein. They were all world-class at just a few things. The rest of their lives they were pretty mediocre."

Darren makes the point that long hours are very different from hard work. Hard work is doing the few things that are hard to do but produce the big results.

"A great confusion for a lot of us is that we think there are all of these functions we need to be involved in and we need to be great at," he added. "Really, like anything in life, there's about a half dozen vital functions that you need to become excellent or brilliant at in order to create gargantuan success."

What are your vital functions? What are the three vital functions that only you can do? What are the three functions that contribute the most to the success of your business or job? If you take the time to write them down, it will force you to focus your attention on what it is you should be doing every day.

Darren's personal goal is to spend 90 percent of his time on his three functions. Best-selling author Jim Collins says if you have more than three priorities, you don't have any.

Steve Jobs learned when he was running Pixar that there's great power in working on just one big thing at a time. When you can get your whole staff to focus on one thing, their creativity is off the charts. That's why Jobs and Apple did one thing at a time. They did the iPod, then the iPhone, then the iPad and then retail.

The final distinction of superachievers, according to Darren, is that they've developed unconscious habits of success. As Aristotle said, "We are what we repeatedly do."

Darren explained: "When you repeat an activity over and over, the reason it becomes an unconscious habit is it develops what's called a neurosignature. It actually burns a brain groove. Every time you do something, it continues to reinforce this brain groove, and we become what we practice the most."

You can read more of Darren's advice in his book, "The Compound Effect," which I highly recommend. Especially helpful are the five ways to change bad habits and seven ways to install success habits. Bottom line: You have to develop a daily routine that will lead you to success.

Mackay's Moral: Lots of people start, but few people finish.