Everyone says that they are interested in winning, but few people are willing to put in the disciplined work to do so.

 

The right effort, skill, and timing makes all the difference in the world in determining your success or failure in many aspects of life. Whether you are kicking the winning field goal for a Super Bowl victory, or your skillful negotiation tactics allowed you to win in your field of business; 3 factors separate those who do from those who try.

I had the pleasure of sharing the stage with NFL Super Bowl champion, Steve Weatherford from the New York Giants at the Norcom Mortgage Sales Summit recently. While very few of us will win a Super Bowl; the Recipes for Success that Steve and I shared with the audience of top mortgage professionals will help you grow tremendously inside and outside of the workplace.

No one was born a natural born anything, they had to work at it to hone their expertise. That “natural ability” that you observe is the result of thousands of hours of trial and error, modeling, and study.

Failing and recognizing what lead to it is the greatest pathway on your journey of success. After every win and every loss, ask yourself, “What did I learn from this?” and “What could I have done differently?” Pivot.

Visualizing the achievement of your goals is important. Visualizing yourself pushing through the struggles that are the price of mastering your craft is even more important.

Want to run a marathon? Fall in love with the idea of getting up at butt crack:30 and running…even when you don’t feel like it.

Want to win a spot on the President’s Club incentive trip next year? Fall in love with picking up the 300lb. phone and working your butt off, embracing the fact that every “No” leads you closer to the crucial “Yes”.

Professional athletes and top performers in every facet of life don’t do any one thing profoundly different than everyone else; they constantly improve and have the discipline to push through the barriers that stand in their way.

You won’t see a 65 year old playing in the NFL. His season may have lasted for a few months or for several years. Asking yourself “What’s next?” is a great question that keeps your creative options open.

Perhaps you are selling widgets and get promoted to a leadership position. Your season just changed. Maybe you switched back again…your season just changed.

Steve Weatherford retired from the NFL in the top physical shape of his life, and was earning millions of dollars. Why? He wanted to share a powerful motivational message with people at conventions, meetings, and events. He gets a different type of rush from speaking than he did from running through the tunnel to greet a stadium full of screaming fans.

Change is the only thing in life that will never change. Embrace that life’s chapters are only chapters…not sentences that we are forced to serve out for our entire lifetime.

What are you embracing?

What are you afraid of? Winning? Losing?

What is preventing you from taking the next step toward sharpening your personal and professional skill-sets?