Why Winners Win

For the past week and a half - all around the world - we have been united in watching the 2018 Olympics. We are amazed by the ski jumping. We are thrilled with the figure skaters, and we cheer for the bobsled teams. We collectively celebrate the almost 3,000 athletes competing in the Winter Games, and we are always in awe at the incredible feats they can accomplish.

Did you ever want to be an Olympian? Did you dream of what you would do with the whole world watching? What does it take to be at that level of achievement?

I believe that to be a championship Olympian, it takes many of the same traits that are required to be a successful entrepreneur, or a winning coach, or a great business leader. I am confident that success has common traits and actions. I am certain that we, too, can unlock these behaviors and put them into practice in our own lives. But what are the qualities? How can we get them?

Have you ever thought about this? Two people can grow up in the same town, attend the same schools, hold the same social status, have parents with very similar incomes, beliefs, and family values, yet one individual will excel far beyond the level of his peer. One will succeed; one will settle. One will rise, one will remain. One will control; one will conform. What is the difference? What makes one an outstanding and successful business leader and the other an average employee?

I believe there are many traits that make a person great, and in this list of many there are three that rise to the top. These three elements must in place before all the hard work, the tenacity, the determination, and the consistent and relentless drive toward the goal can be effective. These three are all behaviors that are in your mind. I constantly say this, and I am convinced that it is at the core of success for each of us: YOU MINDSET MATTERS. In fact, your mindset matters so much that it controls your actions. It controls your outlook, and it controls who you become. Great leaders and achievers have these three traits, and if you master them as well, they will set you apart and put you on the road of accomplishment and success.

1. The achiever, the great business leader, the championship athlete will BELIEVE. He believes in his mission, he believes in his plans, and most of all, he believes in himself. Throughout history, the people who have achieved success are the people who have been sustained by a strong, unshakable belief in themselves. They believed in their own talents and abilities. They believed in what they felt called to do, and these great men and women believed in themselves, even though others around them opposed them or failed to support them. Their MINDSET was the greatest factor in determining their outcome.

Each person has the power to choose what he will believe about his own potential and what he will think about his own life. Beliefs shape attitude, and one’s attitude determines whether or not life is seen as an ongoing series of obstacles or opportunities. The greats choose to believe in themselves and choose to have a positive mindset, They anticipate and seek out challenges, with the confidence and unwavering belief that they have the ability to win.

2. The achiever, the great business leader, the outstanding entrepreneur will THINK big. He has the consistent habit of imagining a solution that has not been tried. He devises an explanation that has not been proven. He creates a result that goes against conventional thinking. He has the ability to dream and to move away from the expected into the realm of experiment and discovery. Whether this is a new battlefield tactic, a medical breakthrough, or a fresh marketing strategy, the great leader is open to change and is willing to challenge what currently exists. This opens the door for the potential of a revolutionary discovery. Great achievers are people of great IMAGINATION. They are pioneers, and they dare to dream. Discoveries and inventions are made because people dare to dream and intentionally think bigger than their current surroundings.

3. The great achiever, the outstanding teacher, the successful leader will LOOK intently and with total focus. They have complete attentiveness on the results they are working to achieve. Focus equals direction. A person with driving focus is able to let go of everything that does not move him toward his goal. He can say ‘no’ to extraneous distractions and he does not let the opinions of those around him deter him from his purpose.

The average person tends to be busy rather than effective and stretched to the limits rather than focused. Great leaders have extraordinary FOCUS. They possess a clearly identified goal, and they move toward that objective with single-mindedness and intense concentration.

So, what is the difference in the two people from the same town and same background? One chose to discover the characteristics of greatness, to develop and practice them, and make them part of his DNA. The other chose to be a spectator in the game of life.

Great achievers, just like great Olympians, believe in themselves. They think big, and they look with focus. When their mindset is right, they are positioned to move forward, to do what they say, and stand with courage. These traits and actions are neither acquired nor accomplished by accident. They are the product of diligent effort and concentrated purpose. Winning is intentional. Success is earned. And great achievers are marked by their mindset before their actions.

You can listen to this week's #SucessMadeSimple podcast by clicking below.