People everywhere are playing the game of life. They are attempting to do great things, achieve the highest results and receive their commensurate rewards. They want to win the victory and be given all the attendant recognition. Most folks definitely want to win,…that is common knowledge. But, very few win as compared to all those who compete. Why is that? I will tell you why…only a very small percentage of people will work hard enough and long enough to develop sufficient knowledge, understanding, and preparation to put them in the proper required position and capacity to be able to win…The secret to winning is the proper and complete preparation to compete.
Success is always determined by an individual’s daily work ethic and preparation exercises.
As a high school senior, I became the Idaho State Champion in the 100 yard and 220 yard sprints and I ran the anchor leg of the State Champion 440 yard relay team. My team and I were first in the state in all the short sprint track events. It was a really big deal…at least to me. All that daily effort, training, conditioning, and practice had finally paid off. We were the very best in the entire State. We won! Now I have just given my age away to the discerning track and field fans as I referenced the races in which I competed in yards instead of current day meters. But that is totally irrelevant. What matters most to me is that I won the competition regardless of the unit of measure of the lengths and distances. First Place, i.e. State Champion was determined by the first runner to cross the finish line (the one with the fastest time),…not by how the distance was measured or who I was running against.
In order to win in life, one must always keep the important things involved,…the most important things in which to be properly prepared. Winning is most always achieved by the competitor who is most well prepared to victoriously compete. Success no matter the venue is a planned event.
Another real secret to winning in life is to never focus your thoughts and attention on your competitors. Always keep mentally focused on your desired results! All competitors who win are the ones who are best prepared mentally, physically, emotionally, and, of course, spiritually. To be able to do that, a competitor has to be mentally focused and physically prepared and single-mindedly purposed in their efforts. Having these required character traits is what is needed to win.
Looking back I can never remember having the slightest of doubt as to whether or not I would win the race. I was, before, backing into the starting blocks, fully prepared and ready to compete and win. I never compared myself to any other competitor, because mentally I had already concluded that I would win the race…this foregone conclusion had been made in my own mind before I ever got to the track.
Self confidence is a requirement if one is to win the competition.
Always remember, success does not always go to the strongest or fastest man. But rather it most usually goes to the man who thinks he can….win…regardless of who he is competing against.
Everything in your life that actually happens first began with a thought within the confines of someone’s mind. Every thing in life begins with a thought.
The man or woman who learns how to best control their own minds, their emotions, and their temper will always defeat the person who does not have such control of their faculties.
Mental toughness is a primary characteristic of highly successful people. Such a quality is learned and developed and therefore doable by anyone who is ready and willing to pay full price, gain the necessary knowledge and understanding, and then work and perform until the mission is completed.
Remember, God gave every member of the human race complete and total control over his or her own mind. You are responsible to make your own decisions and choices. You are personally responsible to work and perform as much or as little as you desire. Therefore, you are personally responsible to determine whether you succeed or fail. The real and true Secret of Success always lies in the second letter of the word.
Master control of your own mind and it’s thoughts,…your emotions, and your physical endurance and you will succeed in what ever you choose to do with your life.
A story please…….
Bobby Jones, one of golf’s greatest players, was only five years old when he first swung a golf club. By the age of twelve, he was winning club tournaments. At the time, he was known for his hot temper and he soon had the nickname “Club Thrower.”
Jones became friends with a man named Grandpa Bart, who worked part-time in the club pro shop. Bart had been an excellent golfer, but had retired when arthritis gripped his hands. After Bobby lost the National Amateur Tournament at the age of fourteen, Grandpa Bart said, “Bobby, you are good enough to win that tournament, but you will never win until you can control that temper of yours. You miss a shot–you get upset–and then you lose.”
Bobby knew Grandpa Bart was right and he set to work to improve, not his swing, but his mood swings. When Bobby won a major tournament at age twenty-one, Grandpa Bart said, “Bobby was fourteen when he mastered the game of golf, but he was twenty-one when he mastered himself.”
Norms and records are always established in relationship to other people’s performance, but the true “Standards of Success” are established within and then lived out in personal relationships.
Never compare yourself to others. Whenever you do so, you always compare your greatest weaknesses with the other person’s greatest strengths…thereby widening the gap between you and the other person to widest possible extent,…and you will lose every time you do it.
Learn to compare yourself and your performance only to yourself and what you know that you are capable of doing. Every time you perform seek to work harder and smarter so as to improve your performance and its related productivity. This is what real winners always do!
Peace And Love to All of You………………..Poppa Bear