|
|
|
The
Mental Game Of Success: Winning The Game Of Life.
Learn these 12 principles and
laws of training, performing and winning in sport and use them to
succeed more in your life. Find out how top performers raise their
games under pressure, how they play to win and avoid playing not-to-lose.
750
words.
The Mental Game of Success
Winning the Game of Life
Bill Cole, MS, MA
Founder and CEO
William B. Cole Consultants
Silicon Valley, California
Sports champions know how to win and accomplish
their dreams. They have learned the secrets of winning and success
in sport. The mental game concepts that follow are familiar ones
in the sport world. Let's examine these principles and laws of winning
in sport and see how we can apply them to our daily lives.
Championship sports stars know what these principles mean, honor
them and apply them in their training and competitions:
1. Second Effort. Making that extra effort can make the difference
between winning and just barely losing. It means going the extra
mile-when you are tired, when victory is not a guarantee, when things
look bleak. Champions routinely push themselves.
2. Get It Done. High achievers use this phrase constantly
to display their commitment to the task at hand. They will do whatever
it takes, against all odds, to succeed, once they have made the
commitment to succeed. There is no doubt it will happen. Just "get
it done".
3. The Killer Instinct. Only champions have this. Champions
know how to finish off a contest once a lead is established. They
have no qualms about defeating the opponent. They keep their sights
aimed at victory and are unrelenting as they forge ahead to victory.
4. Raising Your Game. Champions know that performance levels
must be ratcheted up at various stages of a contest. To seize an
opportunity to win, the champion digs deep and pulls up from within
the all-encompassing desire to succeed that takes them to the next
level.
5. Coming From Behind. Champions know how to win even on
a bad day. They hope for the best but also have plans for the worst.
They are able to kick themselves out of the cellar and find a way
to win, even if it is not pretty. They want that W next to their
name.
6. Playing to Win. Champions are not bashful or ashamed to
say that they love winning. They play positively, confidently and
play like they mean it. They take bold, yet reasoned chances and
believe that they will succeed. They play with positive expectancy
of success.
7. Avoid "Playing Not to Lose". Losers or also-rans
play not to lose. They play scared, they worry about making errors,
they are indecisive, they doubt themselves. When they get a lead
they protect it and are fearful of losing it. Champions hate to
lose more than they love to win and will do everything in their
power to make sure they win.
8. Avoid "Protecting a Lead". Champions don't attempt
to protect leads. They seek to increase leads. Also-rans try to
protect a lead and lose in the process. Champions step up to the
plate and go for it even more because they allow that surge of confidence
to take them over and go to the next level as they increase contest
momentum.
9. Digging Deep. Champions live for those make-it or break-it
pivotal moments in a contest that make great theater. They compete
to taste those times when only a supreme back-breaking effort will
propel them to victory. They want to have a story to tell. They
want to be a in a contest that is meaningful and significant and
that will be remembered for a long, long time. They reach deep down
inside themselves to find the magic needed to win.
10. In-The-Zone. The high achiever knows how to climb into
that optimal performance zone and ride the wave of success. They
know how to get in the flow and allow things to happen. They don't
get in their own way and block themselves. They soar with success.
11. Getting the Momentum. Peak performers understand and
use momentum to their advantage. Every "contest" has momentum and
the secret is to identify it and tap into it. The champion increases
momentum and the chances of success by ramping up energy and by
taking more chances when they have it. They honor and use momentum.
12. No Mind Games. A true champion does not need to play
mind games. The champion is aware of all potential mind games that
may be evident from various opponents and is ready for them. The
champion counters all mind games and maintains true integrity.
Champions are a different breed. Are they born this way or do they
develop the attributes of winners? Whatever the mixture, we can
learn mightily from them. We can be inspired by them, use them as
benchmarks and hold them as role models. Just as they win the mental
game of sport, we can win the mental game of life.
Copyright ©
Bill Cole, MS, MA. All rights reserved.
Bill Cole, MS, MA, a leading authority
on peak performance, mental toughness and coaching, is founder and
CEO of William B. Cole Consultants, a consulting firm that helps
organizations and professionals achieve more success in business,
life and sports. He is also the Founder and President of the International
Mental Game Coaching Association (www.mentalgamecoaching.com),
an organization dedicated to advancing the research, development,
professionalism and growth of mental game coaching worldwide. He
is a multiple Hall-Of-Fame honoree as an athlete, coach and school
alumnus, an award-winning scholar-athlete, published book author
and articles author, and has coached at the highest levels of major-league
pro sports, big-time college athletics and corporate America. For
a free, extensive article archive, or for questions and comments
visit him at www.MentalGameCoach.com.
Free Re-Publishing Rights For This Article
You have our advance permission to republish this article,
as long as you do not sell it. The author's name, web address (MentalGameCoach.com)
and copyright notice (Copyright © Bill Cole, MS, MA) must appear
in all reprinted articles. If the article appears on a website or
in an e-zine, the article must include a link to a page in the MentalGameCoach
website. We would also appreciate your including the author's bio
and full contact information in your article, although this is not
a requirement. For additional information, see our full article
re-publishing permission guidelines.
|
|
