“I’ve never tried to hide the fact that it is my intention to become the best,” said Cristiano Ronald, the great football champion who is considered to be the greatest player of all time. Having a mindset like this could lead any person with a set of goals to achieve the pinnacle of success!
What sets a champion apart from a common man?
His/her wins? Achievements? A wardrobe filled with medals? Bank accounts in every country?
No!
It is self-belief to achieve the goals set no matter what! It is also the mental toughness behind human achievement.
Champion’s Mindset
“I really think a champion is defined not by their wins but by how they can recover when they fall.” – Serena Williams
Champions possess the following characteristics that they attribute to their success –
● Talent,
● Hard work,
● Perseverance to win
● And most importantly mental toughness
They begin with a dream - a passion and self-believe to achieve against all the odds. Moreover, champions can refocus on goals in spite of hardship or past failures.
How to cultivate a Champion mindset
So how can one develop the champion mindset? Simple, here are some pointers …
Be clear and specific about your goals
“All good performance starts with clear goals.” - Ken Blanchard
Champions have a clear idea of what they want to achieve. It helps them keep their focus and vision on that goal always. The clarity of goals also helps them define the road map to reach that destination through obstacles, hurdles, or failures.
Every person has a different definition of success. For some, it might be winning a World championship. Another person may want to achieve a national-level win. Some may want to earn a certain amount of money to buy a decent house...
Therefore, first, decide what you want. Once you have defined the goals, create a map of how you are planning to reach there. You can break the goal into many achievable milestones so that your chances of reaching the end goal are easy.
The next step is to begin. This is one of the crucial stages where many people falter. Just like New Year's resolutions that never fructify, many people stop after planning. So, start today. Remember to go steady on your path to success. Keep improving with huge strides, powered by the motivation to achieve the goals you have set yourself.
Believe in yourself
“The best lightning rod for your protection is your spine.” ― Ralph Waldo Emerson
Self-belief or self-confidence believes in your ability to achieve the target(s) you have set yourself. This confidence will fill your thoughts, feelings, and values and reflect outside in your views and actions.
Champions strongly believe they can do it! If you want to attain their mindset, have 100% belief in yourself first!
To build self-confidence, do the following:
● Motivate yourself until you reach your zenith
● Take inspiration from champions of present and past
● Do not surrender to setbacks, obstacles, hurdles, or the negative opinions others have you.
● Challenge at least one hurdle (personal or external) every day that you think is blocking your path to success
● If you are your most prominent critic, counter every allegation that the critic makes with positivity
● Take up a period challenge for handling dejection
● Teach or train someone in the same field. Your confidence will get an immense boost in the process
Mental Strength
One of the essential traits that champions possess is mental strength. They are ready to face any and every challenge on their route towards their destination. They also can climb up from depths of defeat many times to reach the top.
Their mental strength stems from the following characteristics they possess…
● They take full responsibility for failure… they do not blame anyone else for their loss but themselves for their downfall.
● They are fully aware that success is challenging and only achievable through hardships but are ever ready to take them head-on
● They can bounce back after crushing defeats or setbacks
● They are flexible, not ashamed to go back even to the drawing board and refocus again
● They are willing to sacrifice themselves for their cause – either sacrificing their youth/age – and expending energy.
Physical strength
Another aspect of accomplishing a champion’s mindset is giving importance to your physical body. Have you observed how Sportsmen partake a balanced diet so that they are in shape for the ultimate test? They are also training in various aspects to keep their body fit.
The reason for giving importance to the physical and nutritional requirements of the body is that it can help you withstand extreme pressure when required.
Develop good habits
You sure do know to agree that some habits like smoking and poor eating habits etc. are not suitable for you. Likewise, champions know that some habits will only retard their route to success.
So they adopt some positive habits such as below to keep them on the path of success. They
● Don’t complain about challenges, situations, and external circumstances
● Are not jealous of others achievements; instead, they take it as a challenge to motivate them on the right route
● Practice gratitude towards their mentors, coaches, family, friends, and well-wishers
● Make peace with their past losses and start again. Champions don’t dwell too much on old losses.
● Stop controlling their surroundings but bring change from within to counter deterrents
● Maintain their integrity at all times
● They are responsible. They understand that they are not invincible. They take responsibility for their actions, in case of loss. They consequently work towards adopting remedial measures for the same.
Once you develop all these positives, habits know that your destination is now quite near.
Practice Mindfulness
“Success at anything will always come down to this: focus and effort. And we control both”. – The Rock
To become a champion in your set field, practice mindfulness.
● Focus on your surroundings
● Let your thoughts and emotions directed towards positivity
● Eat, work and sleep mindfully
● Mediate and reap benefits of it such as inner peace, inspiration, and additional energy
Mindfulness helps to improve concentration while
● Became aware that your body needs to achieve success
● Appreciate your surroundings and even competitors
● Accept situations and not be bogged down by extreme
Break your self-made boundaries
Break all the barriers that you have set in your mind due to self-doubt or due to your doubting well-wishers. Move on until you reach your goals.
Keep learning
Learning is a continuous process for everyone. Champions know this better.
● Be like a beginner and learn from the basics.
● You should not have self-limiting parameters if you want to be a champion in your field. Keep acquiring skills for your chosen route.
● Never be satisfied; keep learning the craft in spite of natural skill through knowledge acquisition and experience.
● Always lookout for opportunities to grow. Keep hunger to achieve more alive at all times
For teamwork adopt the Us vs. team mentality
It takes a village to raise a child. Similarly, the champion mindset cannot nurture in isolation.
Maintain support from family, friends, and others who will help them achieve their goals. Practice gratitude toward them as they will be instrumental in providing the essential knowledge, insights, motivation, coaching, counseling to help you become a champion of sorts.
To sum up, draw clear goals and find ways to achieve them. Do not give-in, whatever the circumstances by powering your actions with self-confidence and support of your efforts and that of your team.
Once you have all the above characteristics in your armor, you are good to go as a champion towards the achievement of your goals.