Winning in business and in life is dependent upon your approach to your goals and dreams. BY DAVID LEWIS
“A person either hates losing enough to change, or he hates changing enough to lose.” – Orrin Woodward, co-author of the New York Times bestseller Launching a Leadership Revolution.
Some people are convinced that we are either born to win or born to lose and regardless of what we do, the die is cast for most of us. However, I don’t believe you, the reader, are that kind of person so I am going to assume that you will read this article and give careful consideration to the things you will discover.
First, let me say that by using the term “Winners,” I don’t mean those who have made a vast fortune and are famously wealthy. Likewise, when I use the term “Losers,” I am not referring to those who aren’t famous and rich. I use these terms in reference to those individuals who have a vision for where they want to go in life. One can either make it or not by the things they do and the way they approach their goals and dreams.
Certainly, no one would say that Mother Theresa was a loser because she was a poor nun from Albania living in the slums of India taking care of the sick and dying poor. She had a clear vision and dream for what her life was about and she fulfilled it far beyond what anyone would have normally expected from a woman of her background, size and stature.
In contrast, who would call Bernie Madoff a winner? Yes, he accumulated a huge fortune running his investment house Ponzi scheme, but he also bilked billions from investors in the process and was eventually sent to prison, where he is now serving a 150 year sentence.
Being a winner or loser is based on what you want to accomplish in life, the approach you take and the sacrifices you make to see that your dreams and goals come to pass. It’s about your own idea of success and what you are willing to do to obtain it. Further, it is what kind of person you become once you have reached your goals in life.
Winners say, ‘If it’s to be, it’s up to me.’ Losers say, ‘It is what it is.’
Being a winner is a choice in which all of us have the power to make. It is up to you to choose to succeed or not. Along with that choice, is a commitment to responsibility. You don’t become a winner just because you want to; you either make it happen or it will not likely come to pass.
Winning starts in the mind. It starts with how you think and what you allow to influence your thoughts and actions. It is a decision you make to hitch your dream to the front of your wagon and let it pull you to the place you want to go. Your dreams will greatly influence the things you believe, how you carry yourself and the way in which you live your life. It is always out there beckoning you and calling you to take the next step that will bring you closer to your goal. It challenges you to learn, to continue to grow and to make the changes that will take you to the next step in your life journey.
Losers have dreams and goals too, but they don’t make the commitment it takes to see them through. They say, “If I am supposed to have it, I will get it.” If I am supposed to accomplish my goal, nothing can stop me. They believe it will just happen. A loser isn’t drawn onward by the dreams or goals they have, it is just something they would like to see happen and if it doesn’t, so be it.
Winners are not afraid of losing. Losers are afraid of winning.
Winning is hard. It challenges everything within you, and sometimes you get there on the installment plan with temporary failures along the way. Winners don’t see failures as an end; they see them as a temporary learning experience on the way to their ultimate goal of success.
Mark Cuban is a good example of someone who understands the value of failure. As a young man, Mark’s parents wanted him to have a normal job. He tried working as a carpenter, but he hated it. He was hired as a short order cook, but was terrible at it. He then waited tables and could not even open a bottle of wine successfully.
The now billionaire owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks eventually started a computer consulting business called MicroSolutions which made him a millionaire when he sold the business to CompuServe in 1990. He then developed a video streaming company which Yahoo eventually purchased for billions in Yahoo stock.
It does not matter how many times you failed, because you only have to be right once. The idea is to learn from your failures.
Losers are afraid of winning. They talk about winning and even make an occasional stab at it. They want the rewards of success, but not enough to stay the course and make the changes required to win. Losers fear winning because they know that it is often accompanied by great responsibility. They know that once you have gained a foothold in achievement, you then have to manage your success, and losers don’t want to commit to the challenges that go along with winning.
Winners see opportunities. Losers see only the problems.
Most of us are familiar with the glass-half-empty and the glass-half-full theory and know that our view of life is often what determines the outcome we experience. Our attitude and view has tremendous power to affect where life will take us. Just as exposure to certain things can create our perspective on life, we can also change it by what we expose ourselves to on a consistent basis. Winners know that an attitude is like a muscle. It must be developed and strengthened by continuous discipline and repetition. The more we do something, the easier it is to do it. The more we view things from a positive perspective, the easier it is to keep that perspective in view.
Losers tend to expect a negative outcome. Their overly cautious attitude is often the determining factor in the way something will turn out. They start with doubt and proceed cautiously. If there is too much resistance, they turn and run as though they saved themselves from making a big mistake.
Winners accept challenge as par for the course. They see opportunity all around them and just wonder which one is the best one of which to take advantage. Losers need proof before they will do anything and will not take a risk if there is any chance that it might not succeed. They see the negatives as justification for non-action and would rather take a lesser portion with little risk than to risk much and go for the brass ring.
Winners always search for change, they respond to it and then exploit it as an opportunity. They understand that with every change comes another chance for someone to advance themselves and profit from it.
Winners help others become successful. Losers are only interested in their own success.
There is great news in this message for anyone who wants to achieve more in life. There is always someone who went before us from whom we can learn. Winners love to share their success with others and help them become successful. They aren’t threatened by enriching the lives of others; they are strengthened and reinforced by it. It adds value to their own success and gives validation to the things it took to get them there. By helping others, we ultimately help ourselves. That is the Pay It Forward message – and it is real.
But remember what Orrin Woodward said: “A person either hates losing enough to change or he hates changing enough to lose.”
You can’t change others by direct action, but the changes you make in your own life can start a chain reaction that will ultimately affect everyone around you. Keeping that perspective in mind, winning presents all of us with the same challenge: If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.
