Monthly Archives: October 2011

By Alan Stein

“Champions do not become champions on the court. They merely become recognized on the court.  They become champions because of their daily routine and daily commitment to excellence. Players do not decide their future; they decide their habits and their habits decide their future!”

 Everything begins with how you think and what you think. You have 100% control over your thoughts.

 Your thoughts become your words. 

Your words become your actions. 

Your actions become your habits. 

Your habits become your character. 

Your character becomes your destiny.

 Therefore, being successful at anything is determined by your daily choices and habits.

 Speaking of habits… winning is a habit.  Unfortunately so is losing.

 Winners are confident. Losers worry.

Winners hustle. Losers loaf.

Winners give praise. Losers complain.

Winners listen. Losers talk.

Winners are accountable. Losers point the finger.

Winners are enthusiastic. Losers lack passion.

Winners are great teammates. Losers are selfish.

Winners never quit. Losers give up.

Winners have focus. Losers get frazzled.

Winners have discipline. Losers are weak.

Winners play for ‘we.’ Losers play for ‘me.’

Winners have urgency. Losers procrastinate.

Winners have pride. Losers don’t care.

Winners are coachable. Losers already know it all.

Winners are humble. Losers are cocky.

 Winners prepare their minds and bodies to win on a daily basis.

 Winners do what losers don’t want to do.

 Do you have the habits of a winner?

1.   Give up trying to be perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists; it rewards people who get things done.

2.   Give up comparing yourself to others. – The only person you are competing against is yourself.

3.   Give up dwelling on the past or worrying too much about the future. – Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you.

4.   Give up complaining.– Do something about it.

5.   Give up holding grudges. 

6.   Give up waiting. – What we don’t start today won’t be finished by tomorrow. Knowledge and intelligence are both useless without action.

7.   Give up lying. – In the long-run the truth always reveals itself.

8.   Give up trying to avoid mistakes. – The only mistake that can truly hurt you is choosing to do nothing simply because you’re too scared to make a mistake.

9.   Give up saying, “I can’t.” 

10.  Give up trying to be everything to everyone. – Making one person smile can change the world.

11.  Give up setting small goals for yourself. – Many people set small goals because they’re afraid to fail.

12.  Give up trying to do everything by yourself. –If you work together, you will be far more capable and powerful than you ever could have been alone.

13.  Give up blaming others for your troubles. 

14.  Give up trying to live up to the expectations of others. – Work on it for real and exceed your own expectations. Everything else will fall into place.

15.  Give up the ‘easy street’ mentality. – There is too much emphasis on finding a ‘quick fix’ in today’s society. For example taking diet pills to lose weight instead of exercising and eating well. No amount of magic fairy dust replaces diligent, focused, hard work.

16.  Give up waiting until the last minute. – Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

17.  Give up junk food. – You are what you eat.

18.  Give up foolish habits that you know are foolish.

19.  Give up relationships with people who bring you down. – Saying “no” to right people gives you the time and resources required to say “yes” to right opportunities. Spend time with nice people who are smart, driven and likeminded.

20.  Give up worrying about what others think of you. – Unless you’re trying to make a great first impression (job interview, first date, etc.), don’t let the opinions of others stand in your way.

21.  Give up trying to control everything. – Life is an unpredictable phenomenon. No matter how good or bad things seem right now, we can never be 100% certain what will happen next. So do you best with what’s in front of you and leave the rest to the powers above you.

22.  Give up persistent multi-tasking. – Do one thing at a time and do it right.

23.  Give up thinking others are luckier than you. – The harder you work, the luckier you will become.

24.  Give up filling every waking moment with commitments and activities. – It’s okay to be alone. It’s okay to do nothing sometimes. Think. Relax. Breathe. Be.

25.  Give up making emotional decisions. – Don’t let your emotions trump your intelligence.

26.  Give up doing the wrong things just because you can get away with it. – Just because you can get away with something doesn’t mean you should do it.

27.  Give up focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen.

28.  Give up thinking about the things you don’t have. – Appreciate everything you do have. Many people aren’t so lucky.

29.  Give up trying to fit in. – Don’t mold yourself into someone you’re not. Be yourself.