Practice How You Play

Winners don’t become winners the day they win.  They’ve won before they’ve even arrived at the competition.

We’ve hit the halfway point of January, and many of us have set big goals for 2023.  As the excitement from New Year’s fades, fatigue sets in, and those old habits are waiting for us to let our guards down and invite them back into our lives.  How are we going to maintain our positive momentum through the less exciting parts of the year?  The external encouragement of podcasts, commercials, and social media has slowed, so we have to look within.

Why do you want the thing you’re working for?  I’m going to guess you’re not in it for the trophy.  We live in the world of Amazon one day shipping, so if that was your endgame, you’d be there by now.  So what is it you’re chasing?  The feeling you’ll get when you win.

Right now, close your eyes and image the feeling you’ll get when you finally achieve whatever it is you’re working toward.  That right there is the key.  Winners aren’t made the day they receive the trophy, the ribbon, or the recognition.  They’ve captured that feeling and channeled it in their every day routines.  They say “you practice how you play,” and it’s true that the winning attitude is what gives you the confidence and motivation it takes to actually succeed.

Take on each day as if you’ve already won.  Bottle up that feeling and make it be your “why.”