How To Be A Winner

‘I love the winning, I can take the losing, but most of all I Love to play.’ ~Boris Becker

Have you ever stopped to consider how you think about winning? Or, what winning is, exactly?

These are important questions that you might want to take a few minutes to answer for yourself.

The way you think about winning can have a ginormous impact on both your on course success and the enjoyment you get from training and trialing with your dog.

Here’s a quick way to zero in on your “winning perspective” (aka, your goal orientation).

Read each sentence and pick the one that best fits the way you usually feel. Don’t think too much about each one. Go with your gut. Ready?

I feel successful in my sport when I get the highest score.

– or –

I feel successful in my sport when I master a new skill.

If you feel that the first statement best describes you, your primary focus is on outcomes. Competing against others and comparing yourself with them are important factors for you when you train and compete.

If you feel that the latter statement does a better job of describing you, then your primary focus is on your own performance. Comparing yourself with prior performances is what it’s all about for you.

There are many successful athletes in every sport that fall under both types of focus orientations. And, quite a number find themselves firmly planted in both categories. However, having a performance focus is more advantageous than focussing solely on outcome.

Now, I don’t want to give anyone the impression that winning isn’t important or doesn’t matter. It is and it does. The vital concept is how we define winning for ourselves.

In this video I go a little bit more in depth about why winning is important and the differences between outcome and performance orientations. It’s about 15 minutes long and I think it’s well worth your time to watch. Enjoy!

I’d love to hear what you think about the video and if it strikes a chord, please share! Wouldn’t it be great if we could all “win” all the time?

Sincerely;

John

P.S. The Winning Process 2013 program is about ready to open for registration. If you’re not already signed up for the Cognitive Edge newsletter, do it now so you won’t miss any program information and updates.