Win The Day

The concept of "win the day" has caught some attention in recent years. The University of Oregon and their former coach, Chip Kelly, used it to motivate their players to stay on task each and every day. It's really pretty simple, but for many of us, including myself, we struggle with the execution of it.

We struggle doing the small tasks daily, that will make a big difference for the goal we're trying to accomplish. But why is that? The only way to truly answer that, is to look at yourself right now, and to figure out what's stopping you from winning the day and getting you one step closer to accomplishing your goal.

Set a goal, create a plan to achieve it, then go to work. That's easy to say and even write, but for a lot of us, we fail at one of those stages. Maybe even all of those stages. We might do well at setting the goal but fail to create a plan on achieving it. Or we might create a plan but fail at executing it. That's where "win the day" comes into play.

Take a look at your day. What will it take today to win it? Keep in mind that to win, you only have to be 1 point or 1% better. So for example, if you break out your day into 10 actions, then you only have to complete 6 of those to win the day. And if you do that 4 out of the 7 days in a week, then you win the week. If you do that 16 days out of 30 days in a month, then you win the month, so on and so forth.

You can see how that will add up quickly and build up confidence on the goal you're trying to accomplish. We often think that success comes down to one big moment, but in reality, it comes down to thousands of smaller moments. Moments that you can either attack and try to win, or moments you can choose to skip and decide to tell yourself you'll do it later. That decision may not seem like a big deal, but it's add up, and eventually, it will bite you. Think about it as compound interest. Over time, if applied correctly, your daily actions will eventually build enough of a foundation that it's not possible for you to fail, at least in the traditional sense.

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing." - Vince Lombardi

This is such a powerful quote from the late Vince Lombardi, who has coached, hundreds if not thousands of individual winners as well as created several winning teams. The power of winning and what it can do for your confidence is such an amazing thing.

Here's 5 habits all winners share:* 

1. Winners have positive self-esteem - Self esteem is a person's overall evaluation or appraisal of her or his own worth.
2. Winners are optimistic - Optimism is expecting the most favorable result from your actions. Winners not only think positively, they obsess about it.
3. Winners have positive self motivation - Focus on where you want to go instead of the obstacles in your path. Drive and persistence will take you to your desired destination. Don't allow fear to restrict or defeat your goals.
4. Winners have a high internal standard - With a high internal standard you're driven from within and not affected by what others think or the outcome of the situation.
5. Winners have positive self discipline - You may be motivated to succeed but you have to constantly work toward your goals. Practice, practice, practice. Excellence isn't a one week or one year ideal. It's a constant.

Everyone of us can be a winner, but you have to be committed to continuous growth and improvement. Athletes of all ages can be and should be taught this. We all know that for most of us, sports will eventually stop, but the value of learning to become a winner can be applied to all aspects of our life.

Losers complain. Winners train and gain. Losers seek attention. Winners earn respect. Losers blame others for their problems. Winners find solutions. Losers live in the past. Winners learn from their past to better their futures.

It's time to get excited about YOUR dreams and to take responsibility for YOUR decisions. Break out your day into smaller actions and start WINNING THE DAY!

*Some of this information was taken from SlideShare.net, "Psychology Of The Winner"

http://ezinearticles.com/?Win-The-Day&id=9718764

You Must Build or Rebuild Your Self-Esteem or You Will Never Be Successful (By Matt Manero)

I know this first hand. I have fought against a low self-esteem my entire life. My birth father left my mother when I was 6 months old and I never saw nor heard from him again. My mother remarried my adopted father who loved me and I loved him. We still do. But he suffered from self-esteem issues too, and he took it out on my Mom, my sister and me. We were all called "stupid", "dump" "idiots" for most of my adolescent years. As a big kid, I endured many days on the playground by being called, "fat Matt". Odds are you have had similar unfortunate experiences. Our brains record it all and our self-esteem suffers because of it.

But you MUST overcome these cut downs and develop a positive self-esteem and self-image or success will always elude you. Positive self-esteem is what lifts us up after a defeat. It's the confidence we rely upon to keep on keepin' on. Unfortunately, many people never really master building or rebuilding their self-esteem. Here are some tips I have used that will help you get yours built back up.

1. It's not a curse... it's a blessing. Use the negative experiences you have faced as fuel to rebuild your self-esteem. Deep down, those negative experiences can drive you to success if you use them properly. Drop the blame, and remember the times when you were beat down as powerful. Prove your doubters wrong, don't allow them to be proven right.

2. Seek Mastery of something. When you are a master of something, it produces confidence. The key is to master something, anything. Learn to hit a golf ball 400 yards. Learn to play Billy Joel songs on the piano. Get in tip top shape via working out. Become a top notch cold caller in your sales career. Anything that proves that you took the time to focus on it, skill up, and therefore master it.

3. Do more of what you fear. Do more of what you fear most... LOTS MORE. Repetition is the mother of all skill and the more reps you can take the more you bury the fear and move closer to mastery the better. The key is MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF REPS. Once or twice is not enough. You need to take lots of swings at bat. If you are terrified of speaking, do more speaking. If you can't make a cold call, do more cold calls. Think of this like my friend Grant Cardone suggests in his book THE 10X RULE. Do everything with a factor of 10X to it.

4. Leverage your mastery. Put yourself in locations and situations for your mastery to shine. If you have mastered hitting a golf ball 400 years, then sign up for the company or industry golf tournament. You know that when you arrive on the first tee box, you will hit the ball farther than anyone, and others will be amazed. Therefore, your mastery will put you in a class to yourself, and people will want to be around you and invite you to be on their team. When you start a new job on the sales floor, be the person who can bang out 100 cold calls without blinking an eye. This will separate you on day one from the competition, and you will be looked at as a master. Sit at the piano when you are having drinks with clients and start playing Piano Man. Your clients will be impressed, and your self-esteem issue will go out the window. Invite your new date to the gym with you and let them see how many pull ups you can do and they too will be impressed. Your mastery must be used as constant fuel for you to continue to build or rebuild your self-esteem. Getting great at something gives you the confidence to get great at other things.

5. Help someone else. It's sad that so many people who are in a position to help whether it's a coach, a co-worker or even a parent, don't take more time to recognize self-esteem issues in others. Be that person, be the person that helps.

The topic of self-esteem is vital to your success. For some, the building or rebuilding process can be done quickly. For others, like me, it takes a long time. But either way, nothing is more worth the effort.

http://ezinearticles.com/?You-Must-Build-or-Rebuild-Your-Self-Esteem-or-You-Will-Never-Be-Successful&id=9525087

The Power Of Positive Self Esteem

Individuals who believe in themselves and have confidence in their self worth are better equipped to rise to today's challenges.

Positive self esteem pushes you beyond your boundaries. It lets us to take pride in our achievements no matter how small. The stronger your self esteem, you are able to respond more appropriately to the opportunities and troubles in our personal lives and careers.

Self appraisals are critical to life. What we think about ourselves shapes our perspective of life. It determines:

• The goals we set
• The values we live by
• The people we interact with
• And, how we confront challenges.

The one and only way to meet these challenges is to have a high self esteem.

Believe in yourself

Positive self esteem is essential for healthy psychological development. In its absence, psychological and emotional growth remain stunted. When faced with difficulties, it is easy to breakdown. Positive self esteem provides mental strength and resilience. It provides the capacity for regeneration. Every time you doubt yourself, remember a time in life when you were successful, and transform that doubt into confidence.

Be Ambitious

Survival is primary to us humans, but it is not the only thing. High self esteem allows you to see yourself in a better place; physically, intellectually, emotionally, spiritually, romantically and creatively. So, be ambitious and reach for goals that put you in a higher, finer and superior class. Expect more from life.

Competitive Goals

This is what positive self esteem does; it inspires you to achieve more than what you believe you can. People look for more demanding goals. They constantly challenge themselves, by breaking old records and setting new ones. Their achievements further boost their self esteem.

Transparent and Direct Communication

Having a high self esteem implies valuing yourself for the person you are - be it your physical appearance or the value and ideas you stand by. Such individuals are not afraid of making their thoughts known. They want to be understood and hence welcome clarity. Their communication is honest, direct and transparent. Along with speaking, they also make good listeners giving other's opinions equal value.

Love and Compassion

The goodness and positivity that exists within reflects on the outside. People with high self esteem are loving and compassionate towards others. This because they regard others in the same way they regard themselves. They prefer to have a few nourishing relationships than many toxic ones. They give up relationships that require them to pretend.

Attractiveness

It is not physical attractiveness, but a spiritual attractiveness. They reverberate with confidence. It is their expansiveness and vitality that draws others closer to them.

Forgiveness

We think of self esteem as respecting and admiring ourselves and having faith in our capabilities. But it is also about knowing one's limitations. It includes an acceptance and tolerance of other's weaknesses as well. For this, it is important to be forgiving.

Solid Value System

The self-assuredness in people with high self esteem comes from a solid foundation of values. It is the foundation of their lives. They stand up for it. These values are not governed by external circumstances and neither does it change according to the expectations of others. It becomes their identity and they refuse to compromise on them.

Optimism

There are two ways you can look at life - as a glass half full or a glass half empty. People with high self esteem choose the first. They don't mull over what's negative, but rather search for the positives even in the most distressing situations.

Self -Perfection

A self-confident person accepts the fact that they are not perfect. However, this realization does not turn out to be self-deprecating. Instead, it motivates them to work towards improvement. In this process of self improvement, they don't hesitate to ask other people for help if needed. They welcome all kinds of criticism.

Honest Self-Appraisals

What people with high self esteem are able to do best is conduct unbiased self appraisals. They probe into the positives and the negatives. Their judgment is not subjective, but very realistic.

Constant Success

It is impossible to be successful all the time. Even the most competent and talented individuals have to face failure at some point. However, those with high self esteem experience a constant sense of accomplishment. For them, even failures are opportunities to improve themselves.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Power-Of-Positive-Self-Esteem&id=9362466