Note: This article is taken from the writer Trent Shelton, who talks about the traits that a person must have to achieve success.
I beat the odds-while only 1% of high school soccer players go pro, I make it to the training camps with three different teams, even scoring a goal in one of the pre-season games at Dallas Cowboys, only half an hour from where I grew up in Fort Worth, Texas-but in the end it wasn't enough.
When I was excluded from the National Football League (NFL) for the third time, I could have blamed someone, but I did not. I accepted the idea that I had lost friends and that it was time to move on and take responsibility for the rest of my life.
I said to myself, “It all starts with you;” I have done my best in everything I have done since then. I have understood the discipline, the obstacles to be overcome, and the mindset that this requires, so I had to work and find opportunities for myself when no one wanted to give me any chance, and I have turned my pain into progress.
Living with this kind of motivation has led to successful work that has changed the lives of millions globally for more than a decade. Today, I am one of the most influential speakers in the world, a husband, and a father.
The five characteristics of a championship mindset have been the key to my extreme pride over the past ten years, which is equivalent to the pride I would have felt if I had been an NFL superstar. Five characteristics that you can use to your advantage to win.
5 Traits of a Championship Mindset
1. Commitment
The first core characteristic of a winning mindset is the ability to keep promises for a long time, even after the feelings you felt when you made them have changed.
To stay committed, you must have a meaningful reason. The reason for my commitment was that I made a promise to a close friend who ended their life with their hand. I promised them that from that day on, I would be the “listening ear” the world needed. This reason was a good reason because it meant a lot to me. I remained committed, no matter how difficult it was, no matter what it took.
What is your reason? It has to mean something to you. When you have a good reason, you won't give up.
Many people show more interest than commitment. They are only interested in their dreams, actions, and future, and they act according to the concept of simple attention. Therefore, they do not abide by their promises. They have promised themselves words, but the real commitment is a promise you make to yourself and associate it with actions.
Commitment should not be just about setting a goal but living by standards. The goal is something you reach, and then it's over. The standard is something you stick to and live by. I used to map my goals using a three-dimensional roadmap: destination, direction, and leadership.
1.1. Destination
Set your destination using the reason for your commitment. If the reason is clear, your life will be meaningful, and you will constantly run afoul of the commitment.
1.2. Direction (Guidance)
Most people have a vision but do not know how to reach their destination. If you are trying to find a place without any known starting point, find a guide, study, read, and do whatever it takes to get guidance to help you reach your destination.
1.3. Driving (Motivation)
Most people do not get to their destination because they lack motivation, while heroes have this motivation and do their best to get there.
Staying committed means being prepared for a loss of comfort. In any case, you will not have permanent comfort in this life. But the truth is that the place where the change occurs is outside the comfort zone, and this change leads to the next trait.
2. Discipline
Master rejection of things that do not help you achieve your desire. If you have a winner-take-all mentality, you will choose to give up some of the things you used to have, and you will do some of the things you are not used to because they will lead to something bigger.
Heroes make strategic plans that define what they will do in addition to what they are and are not allowed to do. Some strategies related to discipline may be to change your environment because they are necessary for your success.
You will end up like those you surround yourself with because mindsets are contagious, so evaluate your circle of acquaintances and answer these questions: Do you want to have a mindset similar to theirs? Does your environment add value or drain your goals? Put yourself in an environment that fosters growth and surround yourself with people who enhance you.
What are strategies to build an environment that helps you grow?
Removing bad seeds
To rise to the highest levels, you must get rid of distractions, and of course, you know them. Failure to remove the roots of the problem and bad seeds will affect you negatively, as they are like cancer.
In sports, we used to say that if you keep even the tiniest cancer in the team - that is, a negative person, someone who constantly complains- the cancer will spread. That also applies to your life, so avoid thinking in ways that will not benefit or serve you, and cut off relationships with people who don't bring anything worthwhile into it. Removing something can sometimes be the best way to add it to your life.
Planting new seeds
Take responsibility for your actions, start placing yourself in appropriate settings, and make better lifestyle choices.
Finally, watering those seeds
Employ the mindsets that make you better. For example, I intentionally put myself in environments where I know I am the least accomplished. So, I have no choice but to grow. Spending most of my time with someone who is more fit, excels in their job, or has raised their family in a way that inspires me will allow me to pick up as much knowledge as possible from them. This way, I can pick up as much knowledge and insight from them as possible.
You've decided to commit, and you've decided to build an environment that helps you grow, so what now? Now, you have to apply these traits every day.
3. Perseverance and Persistence
Be significant in your actions so that you perform at your best daily.
It is not enough to be committed and disciplined if you are not diligent; think about the weight loss journey; you may stick to your goal of better health, but you still exercise only sometimes, and you may replace all junk food with healthy food, but you only eat healthy sometimes.
“Sometimes” means that when you are inspired or motivated, you will not always achieve the desired results and will not change your life, so you must fulfill your obligations regardless of how you feel.
I know that some people who read this think they lack continuity, but they do their best. The misconception is that you may think you have a problem with it when you actually lack commitment.
Think about everything you have been committed to doing in your daily life. You've grown accustomed to taking care of your kids, working a regular job, and attending school because you understand the consequences of breaking your commitments.
The problem is not perseverance; it is commitment. You persevere with those things you have given a good reason for, especially when you know the cost of not doing what you need to do. So, research commitment and re-evaluate your reasons.
I promise you this: When the commitment is big enough, you will not suffer much, but you will find your way because you know what awaits you on the other side, and you will experience fear because you understand the repercussions of not fulfilling your obligations. Someone depends on your story, and someone depends on you in your life, so realize that you must fulfill your obligations regardless of how you feel.
But know that even with heroic perseverance, you will only achieve your biggest goals after a period of time, and as you progress toward them, you will face setbacks. How do you maintain the mentality of winning the championship?
4. Faith
Believe you can overcome difficulties even if your chances are small, and trust the process.
What you're trying to achieve will take time to change. Although you've been through pain, started working, and are still working hard, you don't know when the moment to win will come.
Peasants trust the planting process and know they need to plant and nurture the seeds. Like peasants, farmers should be patient and confident, and they should know that if they do the necessary work and maintain their commitment and stability, the results will appear.
Everything will change at some point; nothing happens overnight. However, everything may suddenly change, so be ready.
Heroes understand that the path cannot be expedited and must be believed in, but some heroes are impatient to get where they want to go. On the other hand, a peasant mentality is: "You have to believe that you are doing the right thing even though you cannot see it financially because eventually your work will inevitably succeed. You must know that growth occurs even though you cannot see it."
When I began my journey, which later developed into the profession of writing and speaking, I sat in my room, producing videos every day diligently and sincerely. I used to plant seeds every day and believed in this process, and my skills were growing even if I did not realize it.
At first, no one asked me to appear on stage to speak, but now, I have many requests, and I even reject some of them. I used to work confidently in the process, but many people do not adhere to this process as they start something, and within a month, they despair and give up because they do not see the result of their work quickly and clearly.
I know that commitment, discipline, consistency, and confidence will produce the winning mindset you need to get to your destination, wherever it is; however, you still need another trait to tie all of these traits together.
5. Conscientiousness
Despite all the thoughts in your head telling you that you are at your lowest, muster the courage to give more.
Conscience looks at life as if it were a marathon. Those who win marathons use each of these traits in the race. They have committed, trained, and eliminated distractions. They knew that sprinting would not win them smoothly, so they trusted every step. Even when they approached the finish line, they had to harness all their skills and powers to cross the finish line.
You will reach this stage if you do everything you can and feel you no longer have anything to offer. However, this is when you overcome the difficulties and set new limits you did not think were possible. That is what the conscience means, "I am doing my best to achieve this matter regardless of what it is, and regardless of everything, I will continue to progress."
Conscience is also about staying true to yourself; when you go through all the successes and failures and finally reach success, it's easy to become more solid. In addition, many people reach success and begin to live for those things that do not matter.
So, once you succeed, do not let your view of success define your identity, do not let success define you, and do not lose yourself and leave everything behind to get to where you are now.
I am proud to live in the present, coach my son's football team, and proud not to waste my time on the Internet. I have not changed with all the success I have achieved.
Once you access the hero mentality and apply it to everything in life, you will notice a change, begin to see a shift in your attitude and see the results.
When you start, you will wonder, “Can I do this? Can I really afford this?” Then, once you refine and use the winning mindset, you will move on to the second shift: “I am doing this with unrivaled success.”
People will notice that. You have begun to bridge the gap between vision and reality. Your vision is no longer just an idea in your mind but has crystallized, and you continue to progress steadily. Now, you have reached the point where you have accomplished more than you thought you could.
Finally, instead of wondering if you can achieve it, you will wonder, “What cannot I achieve?” So, you don't see boundaries anymore.
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