Get A Winning Mindset

1. Believe in Destiny
Throughout history exceptional individuals have felt the hand of destiny guiding their success. When Churchill was called upon to lead Britain through the 2nd World War, after 10 years in retirement, he felt his destiny unfolding. This was what he had been born to do and he maintained that he had dreamt of such a time as a young boy.

Similarly, when Jonny Wilkinson scored the winning drop goal in the World Cup final against Australia, he looked remarkably calm and unruffled. When interviewed afterwards he said, ‘I have been practising those types of kicks in training since I was five or six.’ Johnny Wilkinson cannot have escaped a feeling of destiny in that incredible moment.

You must come to feel that you are manifesting your destiny in your life. Feel that you are destined to do what you are doing, that there is a path unfolding before you, that is yours and yours alone. This is an intensely private and personal feeling between you and your God. To discuss this with others would be to expose you to possible ridicule and undermine your conviction.

2. Dedicate your Life to Winning
Winning must become the all-consuming passion of your life. Winners have a hunger and dedication that separates them from the quarter-finalists. The new Wimbledon ladies champion, 17 year old, Maria Sharapova embodies this hunger and dedication,

‘It really comes naturally to fight. I’ve always been a competitor…I wanted to play against girls, boys, older, younger, whatever – and I wanted to win.’

Leaving Siberia at the age of 5 to come to tennis academy in Florida, Maria’s entire life has been dedicated to winning. Preparing to face defending champion Serena Williams on Saturday, she was not in the least overwhelmed, ‘it doesn’t matter who I play. I’m just going out and believing in myself that I can win.’ Five times Olympic Gold medallist, Steve Redgrave, had this same single-mindedness and focus, admitting that he was away from his family for most weekends during his 13 years of competing. Johnny Wilkinson practises 365 days of the year, including Christmas Day.

No one works harder than Madonna to remain the Queen of Pop. After nearly 20 years in the limelight, she’s back, better than ever with her Re-Invention tour. When asked in 1984 what she hoped to accomplish, she answered, ‘to rule the world.’ At 45, she is the most successful female artist of all time and this is her most ambitious tour yet, playing to 50 venues worldwide. To get ready she has been rehearsing 12 hours a day. Madonna is neither the finest singer nor dancer in the world but dedication and single mindedness have made her the most successful in the world. Fittingly, she signs off communiqués on her web site, ‘don’t forget to fight to make your dreams come true.’

Ask yourself whether you are prepared to make the sacrifices required to go all the way. Are you hungry enough to want to win more than anything else in your life? Do not underestimate the sacrifices you will have to make. Ordinary mortals will see you as obsessive, but unlike ordinary mortals, you will go on and win.

3. Have a Higher Purpose
Enshrine your life with a Higher Purpose. Personal ambition for your own personal fulfilment will not inspire you to true greatness. Outstanding winners have a noble purpose that drives them on, to succeed for a more worthy cause than their own individual glory.

When Croats Goran Ivanisevic and Mario Ancic play at Wimbledon, you are in no doubt they are playing to uplift the spirits of their small war-torn nation.

In his inspiring autobiography, ‘It’s Not About The Bike’, sporting legend Lance Armstrong talked of surviving cancer and chemotherapy to emerge with a sense of purpose and mission that he’d never had before’ I had a new sense of purpose, and it had nothing to do with my recognition and exploits on a bike…I wanted to tell people, “Fight like hell, just like I did.”

Just sixteen months after Armstrong was discharged from hospital, he entered the Tour de France, a race famed for its gruelling intensity, and won, in the fastest time ever.

4. You Deserve to Win
Before you embark on any great challenge, whether it’s the finals at Wimbledon, seeking promotion in your career, or asking someone to marry you, ask yourself this question, ‘Do I deserve this?’

Unless you are utterly convinced of your own deservedness and worthiness, you will not be 100% committed to your own success. Until you are totally persuaded that you deserve to win, you cannot do justice to your cause

British actress Emily Watson has forged a successful Hollywood career as well as acclaimed stage roles. Shortly after she graduated from drama school, her friend, the playwright, Mark Ravenhill, asked her about her ambitions. She spoke of her aspirations and Mark then asked, ‘Do you think you deserve this?’ Mark says, ‘She looked into the distance and said very calmly, “Yes, I do. I’ve trained, I’ve worked and I think I do deserve that.”

Run a check and clear up any hidden doubts about your deservedness. You may be surprised to discover that, deep down, you feel your opponent deserves to win, have that promotion, more than you. Provide yourself with inspiring reasons to leave you feeling that you truly deserve to win. Perhaps you got up at 5.30 in the mornings to practise your sport while everyone else slept; perhaps you know the work and contribution you add to the organisation you work for. Whatever your situation, generate a deep down feeling of deservedness as you set out to win.

5. Believe you can win
There must be no doubt in your mind that you can win. When Tim Henman was asked recently whether he really believed he had the mental strength to win at Wimbledon, he replied, ‘I’ve been asking myself that same question for 28 years.’ This is not the mindset of a winner.

To win, at anything in life, losing weight, running your own business, the Wimbledon title, you must believe it is entirely possible. It is self-defeating, pure sabotage to attempt anything while questioning your ability to pull it off.

John McEnroe understands this instinctively and this is what he said about England's inability to win at the game we invented, ‘It's in people's heads. There's this curse, this mentality with English people that they just can't win... Self-belief is incredibly important. In fact, it's everything.’

When England went to the World Cup in 2002, did they go to win? Did they believe they could win? It would appear not. When interviewed immediately after their defeat to Brazil in the quarterfinals, Beckham said the team had expected to get through to the quarterfinals and having done so, were satisfied. With this attitude, they never stood a chance of beating Brazil, regarded as the best team in the world, even though the score was 1-1 at half time, with the Brazil team one man short.

6. Use Telepathy
You are communicating your thoughts and feelings – telepathically, to those around you. It is vital that you grasp the power of telepathy and use it to your advantage. Your opponent will read your resolve or lack of it without you having to say a word. Consider the impact of an entire team, collectively communicating their fear of the other team.

Slay your fear, doubts and uncertainties; otherwise you make it virtually impossible to win. Compose yourself to convey certainty, self-assurance and total conviction in your will to win. Ensure that you have not put the other player or team on a pedestal, seeing them as the best in the world or out of your league or you will find it impossible to convey anything other than fear and submission. The game will be over before it begins.

Give yourself sound reasons to exude confidence and fearlessness. Take control of what you are communicating to the opposition.

7. Defy your Limitations
Challenge your limits by doing the ‘impossible’. For example, walking on hot coals is one sure way to push the boundaries of what you believe is possible. Fire walking involves bare feet, burning hot coals and a superior command of the mind. Present yourself with a monumental challenge to overcome and you’ll stretch yourself beyond the limits and imagination of the average person. Never forget the example of Roger Bannister in defying the limitations of his age, when experts predicted that the human heart and lungs would burst under the pressure of running a mile under four minutes.

Richard Branson was continually set challenges by his mother.

‘When I was four years old, she stopped the car a few miles from our house and made me find my own way home across the fields.’

Before he reached his 12th birthday, his mother sent him off to cycle to Bournemouth – fifty miles away, to stay with a relative. Mission accomplished, he returned home, ‘I do remember walking into the kitchen like a conquering hero, feeling tremendously proud of my marathon bike ride.’

It is no wonder that he grew up to become the country’s most imaginative, resourceful and successful entrepreneurs.

8. Do you have a Fear of Success?
We’re familiar with a fear of failure, but a fear of success is just as real. Our British culture is often ambivalent about overt success, often condemning successful individuals for their success, branding them bigheaded or having lost touch with their roots. It is virtually impossible not to soak up this collective wariness about outstanding success. Root out your underlying thoughts around success to ensure you are entirely comfortable about joining the ranks of the uber-successful.

Complete these two statements with the first five answers that spring to mind;

A fear I have of being successful is …
Successful people are…
If you have anything other than pure enthusiasm for the notion of success, you have work to do. Reprogramme your outlook with positive statements regarding success, convincing yourself that it is a fine and noble state.
Additionally, you may have become comfortable with never quite making it. If you have a pattern of coming close to your goal, but never quite winning or achieving what you really want, you are in a comfort zone.

Break out of this pattern by setting yourself one target and insisting that you win through, whether it’s a 30-mile charity walk, dropping 10 pounds or giving up coffee for a week. Do something that gives you the experience of winning and feeling that you can achieve what you really want and put your mind to.


9. You Are NOT a Loser
Never, ever brand yourself ‘a loser.’

Otherwise, you render your chances of winning virtually nil. No one can condemn you as a loser unless you allow them to.

Look at the example of Paula Radcliffe, who went through a period of underachieving, which came to a head at the World championships in Canada three years ago. As she crossed the finishing line of the 10,000 metres coming in 4th, she was met by her outraged husband and coach, Gary, and had a blazing row with him in front of millions.

Since then, Paula Radcliffe has turned her career around, breaking world records and personal bests and will soon represent us at the Olympics in Athens. Had she or her husband branded her a loser, she could never have recovered to make this comeback.

Michelle Mone, the glamorous entrepreneur behind Ultimo lingerie, grew up in a tenement in the East End of Glasgow. She has battled with legal proceedings from competitors and her life was put in danger during a car-jacking when new designs were stolen. ‘A lot of my competitors look down on me and think who the hell is she. In business I am the most confident person in the world. I feel I can take any of them on any day. I thrive on that; them putting me down, thinking that I must be stupid, having left school at 15. Oh, I love a challenge. ‘

Retail tycoon, Philip Green, in the news recently for his attempts to buy Marks & Spencer, is known as ‘the man with the Midas Touch’. However, his first dealings saw one company go bust, another wound up with debts of £239,000, and a third go into voluntary liquidation. We can assume that he learnt invaluable lessons from these early experiences to make him Britain’s fourth wealthiest man, worth £3.5 billion.

Do not waste precious energy or time wallowing in self-pity. Patch up your disappointment, learn fast and apply the lessons, so you are better than ever. Refuse to see yourself as the runner-up, and employ your new tactics to win Gold next time. All great winners lose on the way up.


10. Stay true to you
Winning and success bring their own challenges. To maintain your success, you will need to build a strong character and great personal integrity and avoid the pitfalls of a superstar lifestyle.

There can be no doubt that the recent stress and turmoil in David Beckham’s private life has affected his ability to focus on football. Beckham is rumoured to be going through an identity crisis saying ‘I don’t know who I am anymore.’

The only way to avoid a crisis such as Beckham may now be going through is never to lose sight of the real you. Remind yourself what your real values and priorities are. Be rigorous with the company you keep, knowing that many people will be drawn to you because of your success. Do not depend on public approval to define who you are or make you feel good about yourself.

Just now, public opinion has turned against David Beckham, and he will need to re-evaluate and reinforce for himself who he really is. Define who you are and want to be, clarify your personal values and create your own code of ethics. Set high standards and work to maintain them. Then, you will never doubt who you are and your value as a person.