10 Things Winners Do Differently

Anyone can give up, and lots of people do, because it’s the easiest thing in the world to do.  But to keep going when everyone would understand if you stopped, that’s what winners do differently.  In fact, this is the most significant principle of winning.  Because without this kind of determination and persistence, the first nine points in this article wouldn’t matter.  But when you combine determination and persistence, as described in point #10 below, with each of the other nine points below, that’s when the real magic happens.

On their relentless road to victory, winners…

1. Take 100% responsibility. – Your life is your statement to the world, representing your values, beliefs, and dreams.  It is yours to create, to enjoy or not enjoy, to fight or to be at peace.  In the end, the very best years of your life will be the ones in which you decide your problems are your own.  You do not blame them on your parents, society, or the economy.  You realize that you control your own destiny.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
2. Focus on the controllable. – Life is a balance between what we can and cannot control.  You must learn to live comfortably between effort and surrender.  Life does not owe you anything; it has already given you everything you need.  Freedom is not overcoming what you think stands in your way;  it is understanding that what is in your way is part of the way.
3. Eliminate the wrong things. – The true price of anything you do is the amount of time you exchange for it.  If something you’re doing or thinking isn’t fixing or improving the situation, then it’s wasting your time.  There comes a point when you have to choose between turning the page and closing the book.
4. Maintain control. – Start shaping your own days.  Start walking your own walk.  This journey is yours.  You know you were born, and you know you will die.  The in between is all up to you.  Stop wishing, and start doing.  Either you run your days, or your days will run you.
5. Keep good company. – It’s not always where you are in life, but who you have by your side that matters most.  Some people drain you and others provide soul food.  Be sure to get in the company of those who feed your spirit, and give the gift of your absence to those who do not appreciate your presence.
6. Think constructively. – Change your thoughts and you change your reality.  Our thoughts are the makers of our moods, the inventors of our dreams, and the creators of our will.  That is why you must sort through them carefully, and choose to respond only to those that will help you build the life you want, and the outlook you want to hold as you’re living it.  Read Learned Optimism.
7. Conquer oneself. – Being yourself is the foundation of happiness.  Knowing yourself is the foundation of wisdom.  Pushing yourself is the foundation of success.  It is better to conquer yourself is these ways, than to win a hundred battles elsewhere in life.
8. Practice self-love. – We need to fix ourselves first before we fix others.  Caring for yourself is not an act of self-indulgence, it’s an act of self-respect.  The day will finally come when you have to accept that you need to be your own caretaker.  There will be times when you’ll have to work hard to mother yourself with the compassion and patience that any messed up kid would need.  Doing so will prove to be a great challenge, but a happier life is your reward.
9. Work through the pain. – One day this pain will make sense to you.  Sometimes it takes the worst pain to bring about the best change.  The strongest people you know became strong because of the pain they once faced, and conquered.  So in spite of all the put-downs and negativity you’ve heard from others in your life, stay focused on your goals, and remember that how you rise up is no one else’s business but your own.  Read Man’s Search for Meaning.
10. Keep going. – No matter what you do, no matter how many times you screw up and think to yourself that there’s no point to carry on, and no matter how many people tell you that you can’t do it – keep going.  Pick yourself back up.  Don’t quit.  Don’t quit, because a few months from now you will be so much closer to your goal than you are now.  Focus on the road ahead.  Do something today your future self will thank you for.

Credit for this article goes to Marc and Angel Hack Life Blog http://goo.gl/nMvDI

The moments that truly define who you are

Each day is made up of 84,600 seconds and each of those seconds that provide us with an opportunity to experience both positive and negative moments.  Moments that will put us into situation where we will fail or succeed.  Sometimes these triumphs or loses will be experiences on an internal level and other times these types of moments will be exposed on a national stage.

Too often in this current culture we look at the outcomes of our daily activities and use them as measuring stick to call us a successful person or a failure.  We forget that success and failure characteristics of a specific person, they are words that define the act of a single event.  One misstep doesn’t label you for every thing you do going forward.

In sports in happens after you perform poorly in a game with a lot hype and national recognition.  We have a lot of people who will be ready to blame a loss on one specific person or play.  Once those moments are over they are gone forever and you have to be ready to move forward.  

The one thing that truly defines who you are at your core is how you react to the outcomes you experience both positively and negatively. 

I AM A SPARTAN

 

 

The House of Sparta

Do You Hold A Key?

 

There is a magnificent house that stands atop a high hill.

 

This house is home to the greatest Spartan Legends.

 

To talk about us is to drain the vocabulary of superlatives.

 

We are driven self starters who arrive early with a dominating attitude.

 

We have a steadfast focus to improve, excel and win.

 

We believe in hard work, sacrifice and we persist boldly until each mission is accomplished.

 

We are tough. We do our best regardless of circumstance and opposition.

 

We welcome confrontation and respond to challenge.

 

We train to the highest standards of relentless effort, precision execution,

inspired coaching and selfless unity.

 

We are the best of the best.

 

We trust our abilities, skills and instincts.

 

We never hold back and always take the leap of faith to see what we’re capable of achieving.

 

We embrace pressure and battle with an uninhibited joy.

 

We have faith in our leaders and believe with conviction in ourselves.

 

We take responsibility for our roles, goals, failures and successes.

 

We are committed to the plan and always support our team.

 

We have a group ego and have confidence in the power of oneness.

 

We prepare for glory in honor of Sparta and the warriors who’ve come before us.

 

We train passionately with pride and compete hard for the Spartan nation

who makes us a thundering force.

 

We stand shoulder to shoulder, sacrifice personal glory for group mission, overcome injuries and obstacles to show up anytime and anywhere…

 

and we dominate.

 

We are the underpinnings of the Spartan Empire – We are Spartan Legends.

Are You One Of Us?

 

Tim ‘Red’ Wakeham – Spartan

Leaving it on the Court

The term “leave it all on the court” is one that is constantly used by coaches and players around the country. Most people sit in the locker room after a game completely exhausted and feel like they have left everything they had out there. But no one has the right to use that term as much as Delvon Roe.

I don’t think we’ve ever seen a player who continually battled through injury and setbacks the way Delvon did and no one ever heard him complain about any of it. In today’s “me first” culture that we have seen in collegiate sports, Delvon bucked the trend and showed what it really meant to put a team, program and University in front of his personal accomplishments. I can personally say that the values that Delvon has shown over the last few years exemplify the true meaning of being a Spartan.

It’s been a privilege getting to know Delvon and I’ve enjoyed the conversations and time off the court with him as much as watching him play. I can guarantee that when my son is old enough he will hear the stories of Delvon’s personal sacrifice and toughness.

I want to thank Delvon for making our program better and continuing the traditions that were set forth long before I got to MSU. It’s an honor to have him as a part of our Spartan Family.

How bad do you want success?

I had an interesting conversation with a coach today about what motivates people to work hard when they are by themselves. When you are in the middle of a work out or project and your mind is telling you to stop how do you overcome the urge to stop and continue to push yourself to get better. It’s different for everyone and once you understand how to win the battle within your own mind you can start working for success. The below video is one that has been going around but I still find time to watch it everyday at some point. It deals with the sacrifice certain people are willing to make to achieve what they want in life.

Spending time with Smitty

I had the privilege of spending the past couple of days with one of my favorite MSU athletes of all time. Steve Smith recently held two of his annual golf outings to benefit his scholarship and the West Michigan and Mid-Michigan MSU Alumni Clubs. Anybody that knows me knows that I love playing in golf outings but these two are my favorite simply for the fact that it gives me a chance to see Steve.

Growing up a Spartan fan I held Smitty in the highest regard as an athlete, I was in owe of the things he could do with a basketball, I wished I had a shot as smooth as his and a hesitation move that nobody can stop to this day. As I began my career at MSU I still looked up to Smitty as a basketball player but the more and more I got to interact with him the more I began to look up to him as a person. I’ve had the chance to meet a lot of people of the years and very few have the humility, thoughtfulness and grace of Steve Smith.

It’s understated the time he takes with each and every player that has passed through the Breslin Center. Quick to share a story, advice or let you know when you weren’t playing up to the potential he saw in you. Even when your career is over he always makes time to find out how you are doing and if their is anything he can do to help. I hope that one day I can be remembered for making the same impact by giving back to the community and University.

1967 Guide to Winners and Losers

I picked up the mail the other day and noticed that I had a letter from my Pa Pou (that’s Greek for grandpa). Now that’s not a big surprise because he is one of the few people I know that still writes letters and he likes to send us pearls of wisdom. I opened it out and found a copy of a 1967 Detroit Free Press article called: Winners & Losers : Their Key Traits by Sydney Harris. I read them and found it ironic that the things that their written about in 1967 still hold true today. Below is the article,

Winners and Losers : Their Key Traits

Part IV : How to Tell a Winner from a Loser:

A winner know that to forget and what to remember; a loser forgets what he should remember, and remembers what he should forget.

A winner seeks for the goodness in a bad man, and works with that part of him; a loser looks only for the badness in a good ma, and therefore finds it hard to work with anyone.

A winner admits his prejudices and tries to correct them in making judgements: a loser denies his prejudices, and thus becomes their lifelong captive.

A winner in not afraid to contradict himself when faced with a contradictory situation; a loser is more concerned with being consistent than with being right.

A winner feels challenged when odds are against him; a loser is always looking for “the edge.”

A WINNER APPRECIATES the irony of fate, and the fact that merit is not always rewarded, without becoming cynical; a loser is cynical without appreciating the irony of fate.

A winner possesses ideas; a loser is possessed by them, and so, even when successful, remains their slave

A winner knows how to be serious without being solemn; a loser isoften solemn as a substitute for his lack of capacity to be serious.

A winner looks it over; a loser looks it up

A winner rebukes and forgives; a loser is to timid to rebuke and too petty to forgive.

A winner recognizes that the only true authority is moral authority; a loser, having little of this, tries to assume more external authority than his character can handle.

A WINNER TRIES to judge his own acts by their consequences, and other people’s acts by their intentions; a loser gives himself all the best of it by judging his own acts by his intentions, and the acts of others by their consequences.

A winner feels that his past failures have contributed to his success; a loser feels that his past failures blocked his success.

A winner does what is necessary with good grace, saving his energy for situations where he has a choice; a loser does what is necessary under protest, and has no energy left for moral decisions.

A winner accepts the fact that, finally, no mortal can know who the real winners and losers are; a loser thinks that status and power and applause confer a kind of immortality upon him – and never wonders what the lessons of crucifixion might be.