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How To Be A Winner In Life

by Adam Lyons
14 Jun 2011 at 23:48hrs | Views
Do you ever notice how most people seem to fall somewhere in the realm of being not bad or okay at things? Then there are those few who are good or even excellent at whatever is being done. What is it about the latter that separates them from most? It might be a gift from God perhaps, or maybe they're just plain lucky. Sometimes it can be luck but thankfully for the rest of us this isn't the case. All of us can be winners. We all have the ability to be great and all we need to do is apply ourselves in more productive ways.

People are very similar. Actual ability in itself is neutral because we all have the potential to be a winner. What separates winners from losers is more often than not the application of the task at hand. The tennis player correcting his backhand, singer controlling her breathing and the chess player who thinks four moves ahead instead of three all align their actions in accordance to winning. The beauty of it is that everyone else can do it too.

Understand the rules of the game you're playing
The most important part of playing a game is knowing and understanding the rules. How can you expect to get anywhere in competition if you don't know the rules of engagement? You just can't win if you don't know how. It is vital to know how to win in any area you're competing in. You need to score that goal, win over that person or get that promotion. You have to know what is not allowed so you can avoid actions that will get you penalised. Put simply, you need to know how much room you have to manoeuvre and how to avoid getting in trouble.

Do it more than anyone else
We all know that the main way of getting better at something is to do it more. As we do it more often it becomes second nature and therefore easier. In a study that looked at musical prodigies to determine whether they had a genetic ability to perform, or whether their skill was learnt, it was found that all of the prodigies in the study had practised playing their instrument somewhere between seven to ten thousand hours. That's not to say that the natural talent in the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo or Roger Federer didn't play a major part in taking them all the way to the top, but the fact is that people learn by doing: The more you do something the better you get. Who would have thought?!

Who you know
While we may like to believe that skill is the only deciding factor when choosing a winner, we must accept that this is just simply not the case. Sometimes it is a question of who you know and, unfortunately, life is not always fair. Chances are that if your mate was on the interview panel for that job you wanted, you'd have a great chance of landing the role. There's no harm in networking is there?

Train with people who are better than you
When you surround yourself with people who are better than you it awakens your desire to improve and push yourself even closer to your limits. If, on the other hand, you were the best among your group, your role is then the master instead of the student. While the others will be learning from you, you yourself will not grow much as you will remain a big fish in a small pond. That limits your room to explore. Instead, go out and find someone who you can learn from. Then the opportunities are endless.

Ambition
Ambition almost always exceeds skill. Have you ever wanted something so badly that you fought to the bone to get it? Almost every guy knows of someone who played alongside a kid in the playground who went on to become a professional football player, even though "he was never really that good". The greatest things that have ever been achieved throughout mankind have been from those who were driven enough to get it. Aim for the stars and settle for the sky. This translates to modern life by always be pushing your comfort zones and never staying at the level you are in for too long. Learn to love that slightly uneasy feeling you get when doing something new or something old in a new improved way. It shows you're walking the right path to achievement.

Visualisation of the goal
Visualising what it is you want to achieve has two powerful purposes. Firstly, it motivates you which provides even more fuel for your ambition. Secondly, it transports you onto the "field" and allows you to practise your task again and again. There is no difference between imagination and memory and they both use the same parts of the brain. When you imagine something specific for long enough it can become a memory. When this is applied specifically with the task at hand it works as an artificial practise memory.

Get on the winning track
We all have the power to achieve and be excellent in what we choose. More often than not we fail to reach our true potential. It is those who keep moving and pushing to improve that end up winning. There is no reason why we all can't also, and with practice and enthusiasm we can go far beyond what we have ever dreamt of. Making a habit of achieving and growing is one of the biggest favours you can do for yourself.

A word of warning: while winning is great, it may be good to remember the old saying of winning isn't everything. While competition is sometimes necessary, there is more to life than competing. Don't be blinded to the other things in life such as spending time with friends and family and appreciating the little time you actually have.

Source - ASKMEN
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