5 Tips for developing a winning mindset
- Believe in yourself – You’ve got to believe in yourself even when no one else does.
- Picture yourself achieving your goals – Think outside the box. Envision yourself winning, living the life you want.
- Think positive – If you look for opportunities you’ll find opportunities. If you search for problems you’ll find them also.
- Stay hungry – Drive. Determination. Ambition. Burning desire. Persistence.
- Don’t be afraid to fail – Replace the word “Fail” with “Learn”.
Developing a winning mindset
One of my favorite motivational speakers Les Brown said it best, “There’s 3 types of people. There’s winners, there’s losers, and then there’s people who just haven’t been taught how to win.”
I, along with most of you I assume, fall in that 3rd category. People who just weren’t taught how to win.
What’s interesting about success is the fact that 80% of it is psychological (mindset), only 20% of it is mechanics. Developing a winning mindset is 80% of the battle!
Believe in yourself
Believing in yourself and your ability to bring your goals to life are big hurdles in the beginning. At least I know they were for me, and still have my moments.
It’s hard for people to envision life outside the box they’re currently in. But if you want to succeed, you’re going to have to crush that self doubt and KNOW in your heart and mind that it’s going to happen!
You’ve got to believe in yourself even when no one else does, because trust me, you WILL encounter times where everyone doubts you.
If your’e having self doubt, take action. Review your goals & plans and take a step toward one of your goals.
Picture yourself achieving your goals
Visualization is a simple yet effective tool many successful people use. It reinforces self belief and helps build a positive self image.
Writing you’re goals down in present tense also helps picture yourself achieving your goals.
When you wake up in the morning, and before you hit the sack, take a few minutes envisioning yourself living the life you want.
The best thing about this and most of the tips on this site is they don’t cost a dime. Remember, 80% of success is mindset.
Think positive
I know this tip sounds cliche, mundane, and overused, but let me elaborate.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson puts it, “A man is what he thinks about all day long.” There’s also a proverb that reads, “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he.”
Pessimism is nothing more than a bad habit. But it’s one that could hinder your growth in areas of your life where you might otherwise flourish.
Whatever you look for, you’ll find. If you look for opportunities you’ll find opportunities. If you search for problems you’ll find more problems.
Build a habit of looking at life from an optimistic perspective. Having a positive outlook is an important tool to developing a winning mindset.
Stay hungry
In the classic book, “Think and Grow Rich,” considered to be the first self-help book ever, Napoleon Hill refers to the secret to success as a “Burning desire.”
Successful people share common character traits. Drive, determination, ambition and persistence just to name a few. That drive is what sets them apart from the rest of the crowd.
It’s what pushes them to stay up late and wake up early working on their goals while other people are out partying or binge watching t.v. shows. Aim to keep that “Burning desire” alive and by all means stay hungry!
Develop a winning mindset by aiming to create successful character traits of relentless drive and laser like focus
Don’t be afraid to fail
Most people tend to not aim high enough, because in the back of their mind they’re afraid they won’t succeed. The fact is, failure is part of life. We’re not always going to get everything we want on the first try. And in most cases neither the second or third try.
I’m sure you’ve heard the Thomas Edison story, of how he failed 10,000 times before finally inventing the light bulb. Another lesser known story of failure before success is the story of famous author Stephen King, who’s books have sold over 350 million copies.
In his earlier years as a school teacher he submitted his first book “Carrie” for publishing 30 times, and was denied 30 times before he finally gave up and threw away the manuscript.
His wife pulled it from the trash and convinced him to try one more time and on his 31st try it was accepted.
Failure is a part of life, how you react to it is the kicker. You’re not a failure until you stop trying. Dealing with failure is a key point in developing a winning mindset.
One of the greatest books on using failure as a stepping stone to success is John C. Maxwell’s “Failing Forward“. I highly recommend this book to anyone.
“Fail early, fail often, but always fail forward.” – John C. Maxwell