How to be a Winner

What it Takes to be a Winner

As summer comes to an end, and we head into what I’m sure we will all hope is a much more normal autumn I thought it would be a good time for a bit of reflection.

For any sporting fans it’s been a heck of a summer, Euros (pain and pleasure, and a heart stopping moment as Christian Eriksen collapsed on the pitch), Tour de France, golf, cricket, rugby and of course the Olympics and Paralympics. I must confess I’m not much of a sports fan but there were moments in the Olympics that reduced me to tears as the years of hard work paid off for many or ended in bitter disappointment for others.

The stories from the Olympics showed it’s not just about winning or even just the tournament, their victories are hard won usually with years of arduous training, living away from home putting all sorts of other parts of life on hold to pursue their dreams.

So, what can we learn from these sporting ‘heroes’?

Success doesn’t usually come quickly or easily The emotional moments of triumph on the podium are there for everyone to see. But getting up early on dark mornings to train, missing out on social or family events, the continued discipline, hard work and focus that builds success, these are not usually visible to the world.

Falling is part of the journey

Learning and trying to improve will inevitably lead to falling at times. When that happens we have a choice, we get up and try again, or give up. But falling is usually a mark that we are making progress, indeed if we stop falling we’ve probably stopped improving.

Someone else winning doesn’t take away from your success

There is part of competitive sport that involves comparison, obviously, medals come in gold, silver and bronze. But there is also that part of ‘winning’ that means doing better than you’ve ever done before and I’ve often heard people say that even though they might be disappointed at not receiving a medal, a personal best can also be a ‘win’. Also, how many people even get to be an Olympian so just getting that far is massive ‘win’.

Your worth doesn’t depend on your wins

In some ways to be prepared to compete (not just in sport but in any field) means you must have a certain level of confidence as there is always a possibility you will lose – that is an inherent risk. Usually our level of confidence is tied into our sense of self-worth. Winning can increase confidence but it’s the process that usually increases confidence as well as the actual win!

You have to have a passion

Let’s be honest if you weren’t passionate about a sport it would be jolly tough to put in the hours of practice that are necessary to practice relentlessly, sacrificing all sorts of other aspects of life at least for a time.

Again, this is not just about sport. When it comes to any kind of dream or goal if we have passion we are more likely remain motivated to keep going even if seems at times that the odds are against us. This can be true in business, in relationships, in any kind of challenges that we face or set ourselves.

Don’t be afraid to dream

Sometimes dreams seem like dreams as in they are not related to reality. Things that somehow inhabit a different realm. But we do all have dreams, we may not be honest about them but I bet there aren’t many people who don’t have some kind of dream.

Be brave

We all experience moments of fear. As humans some of us respond to fear by backing away, others will face that fear and find ways through it. Either approach is fine. But I’m betting that people who ultimately achieve the things they want will have had to face moments of fear. We all have a different approach to risk and I must say I was amazed at some of the bravery shown in events like skateboarding, and I found myself wondering how many times they must have fallen off and hurt themselves in practice. Imagine falling off, breaking a bone but then deciding to give it another go when healed. That is what facing our fear is all about.

If this article has resonated with you then why not visit the Facebook group All About You for more help and support on ways you can achieve a happy, balanced and fulfilled life?

www.facebook.com/groups/AAYGroup/about

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