Even if things are not currently going in your favour, play every second to win! Keep the winner’s mindset. It can still turn around. There is time. But you need to play every moment like it’s the gold medal match and you are absolutely going to win.
Throw every ounce of energy into your efforts. Leave nothing left over for when you’re done. Never give up. It’s only over when that lady sings.
Until that final whistle, play like an obsessed champion. And one day you’ll be one.
Would you rather do your absolute best at something and come second or be off your game but still win?
Trying, practicing and training all require effort. It is these efforts that turn you into a winner; a person who wins. You won’t always have a bestseller, blockbuster or championship trophy but you will have developed the discipline, focus and confidence to try it again.
You win as a person each time you put effort in and try. Love the process.
Do you always have to win? Is your perspective the only one allowed? Sometimes your win is humanity’s loss. Be mindful of this.
You see, we all come at things from different perspectives (see my Six Chairs blog post). Some will share the same or similar view while others will be the polar opposite. That is usually fine.
Arguing the point for ‘a win’ is rarely beneficial though. Noting the differences in the conversation and understanding all the various data points is useful. But trying to make the other adopt your perspective, as if it were their own, does not make sense.
It is ok for you to like blue and your friend to like orange. If you like Chelsea and they like Man United, that is fine. No need to name call, disparage or block. Simply accepting that someone else has a different view is better for the whole world and society at large.
Remember that the other person has their experiences and may have different cultural influences. They may have also held these views for many years or decades. So expecting, or insisting, that they change or shift their view in a two hour discussion seems unreasonable.
Let others keep their view. But let them understand the reasons behind your position too. The stories and data have a greater chance of swaying them then militant necessity.
Your win is humanity’s loss. Let it be.
You need to begin with the end in mind. And the end result you should be aiming for is a winning one. Expect to win! You’ll feel better for it.
Life is a self-fulfilling prophecy. If you expect something to happen, it is more likely to. If you don’t expect it, it’s quite possible it won’t.
Part of the expectation is to see yourself in that final moment. If you can visualise yourself as successful or victorious, you will have won half the battle. You will feel more capable and confident. The sense of achievement will run through you. You may even straighten up a little and walk taller. Perhaps you will speak with more authority and determination.
Certainly the taste of the win will help to motivate you. In addition, you can run the plan backwards to see what you need to do to reach that moment. Then you can work harder, train harder, prepare better and feel like it is going toward something useful.
Seeing the result can be quite motivating. Think about it often and play with the finer details of the moment in your mind. The more real you can make it, the more real it should become.
The opposite is also true though, so guard those thoughts closely.
Expect to win!
Sometimes we start on the sidelines and sometimes we dive right in. But once the battle begins you have to think, “We’re going to win this one!”.
This is true in so many circumstances in our life. It could be as big as winning a war or getting your money back from a trip that was cancelled. Sometimes it starts off with a sport and a team we develop an interest in. Soon that can become an obsession.
You start to get emotionally involved. You start to know the details about what is going on. If a situation becomes even remotely questionable, you can fly off the handle. Sports is probably the best example of this playing out. However, it is quite similar for many other situations.
Wherever you are invested mentally over time, you will feel like you are part of the team. When there is something to win or lose, it will become more important to you. This seems to be true whether it is for contesting a £40 parking ticket or trying to win Gold at the Olympics.
It helps if you go into battle with a positive mindset. Go in confident. Set your mind to it. Charge forward and declare, “We’re going to win this one!”.
That is the question. There is a fine line between being overly relaxed and taking things too seriously. To compete or not compete can be a very challenging question.
Whether it is at the country level, national, regional or local, this is not really a question. You train to win. However, before you get on that road, there is a period of life where winning isn’t everything. At least not to everyone.
As an individual, playing at park, school or local club level, there can be an element of playing too hard. Some children are there just to have some fun. Other children are only there because their parents are encouraging them to be there. Occasionally one child doesn’t want to be there at all.
However, to make it to progressively higher levels, one needs to challenge. So it stands to reason that if you want to play at the those levels, you may need to play harder at the younger age groups. However, some children may play too hard when the stakes are not very high.
This is not necessarily good or bad. It is simply something that people have to get through. Children and parents all have to be flexible enough to allow for both ends of the spectrum.
To compete or not compete. Simply keep getting better and it will all work out.
The journey from start to finish can be a challenge, not least because it is repetitive. To move from beginner to winner can take some time and a lot of training.
It usually starts with mindset. You need to shift from, ‘I can’t do this’ or ‘I’ll be terrible’, to, ‘I can do this’. Then the process has begun. You can then have your first real try. You are ready.
Now usually when we are the beginner, we are not very good at it. Walking seems so simple now for most people reading this. But walking usually takes 6-18 months for children to learn the basics and become reasonably capable.
Times tables is another example most people can relate to. The first time you were shown the times tables, it’s unlikely you remembered any of them. But now you could probably provide rapid responses for six times six and 11 times nine.
Like anything in life, most things are achievable by a regular person. Certainly climbing from beginner to intermediate is within most people’s grasp for anything intellectual or physical. It will, however, take some time, effort and focused training. It may even require a coach, teacher or trainer.
Shifting from intermediate to advanced is another leap. This relies more heavily on mindset. This leap requires discipline, a positive mind and the ability to deal with bigger setbacks.
From advanced to professional requires an even greater level of mental fortitude. But it is achievable. Though in this modern era, with so many people prepared to compete for the rewards at the top, you will have to train hard.
Remember, the journey from beginner to winner will usually mean you will be a little shaky at the start. But you need to get through that and shift from uncomfortable to unstoppable to achieve anything.
