7even Top STRATEGIES for Winning!

Life is as much a game as It is a Race, and just like in every good game, only the players that master the rules of the game emerge consistently as winners.
Now Winning is as much a mindset as it is a Reality, whether in our academics pursuits, career, marriage and even business, most people play to win, unfortunately also, most people don’t play fair-they go as far as employing tactics such as manipulation, corruption, deceit, selfish ambition, to outsmart and out shine the others-all of which are not necessary because he who cheats to win at a game is not a winner, but a cheat who is enjoying a temporary victory in anticipation of a permanent fall.
I’ll like to share with you, seven strategies, which if properly and consistently employed will enable and empower you to win Fair and Square in all spheres of your life.

#1. OPTIMISM: Yes, having the right mindset. No sane person enters a competition or starts a race and entertains ideas that he will lose. its what I call the ‘winning spirit’. True Victory starts in your heart. I suggest that whatever project it is you want to undertake in life, embark on it with the right positive attitude, apply for that job with the right positive mentality, enter into that marriage with the right mindset, be sure that if it’s never been done before, you can always be the one to start it, If there is just one person qualified, why wont it be you? I Hope you are getting the picture.

#2. RESEARCH: always investigate, find out in advance the rules of the game, talk to people who have been there before you…this will always set you on edge over your contemporaries. I mean, we all know that if you are going to write an exam, you should study past questions? So why wont you study the history of the company that is granting you that interview? If you are smart enough not to marry some one whom you know nothing of then bear in mind that that company is smart enough not to employ someone whom knows nothing of it. This applies in every sphere of your life. It pays to ask questions!

#3. PREPARATION: this is one of the basics, matter of fact 90 % of what determines the outcome of any game or sport is the level of preparedness of the players. No matter how many questions you ask, if you don’t do your home work, you won’t win the prize. According to John Maxwell, preparation sharpens your talent, so no matter how good you are, there will always be the external factor.

#4. FOCUS: I’ll put it this way, draw a mental picture of what you want, keep your eyes fixed on it, run towards it and don’t stop till you get there. Imagine a scenario, where an athlete in a track race, who was off to a pretty good start, well prepared and ahead of his colleagues, then suddenly he hears the cheering crowd and decides to stop and wave at them-while the race is still on. Two things will happen, he will slow himself down, and his colleagues will overtake him. Unfortunately some of us are a little too much like this athlete, you started off with a picture, then you see a little success and then lose focus, all to a temporary fleeting distraction of wealth or fame. Success is not a destination, it’s a race and one that doesn’t stop till your time is up. Remember, no matter how high you think you have reached, you can still fall, so keep your eyes on the finish line.

#5: PLAY TO WIN: this is what I like to call excellence. Whatever it is you do, I want you to have an A+ mentality. As entertaining as we think sports is, the players don’t play to entertain, they play to win, because a lot is already at stake for them, after putting so much hard work, they couldn’t care less if you find them amusing or even challenging, they are there for the prize. So should you, don’t get married for the sake of it, don’t just write an exam if you think you are not ready, don’t manage anything, if its not good enough, then it is no good at all. Put your best or don’t play at all.

#6. PERSEVERANCE: Have you ever heard of an endurance walk, you are expected to walk for miles, without a necessary purpose or direction, the aim basically is to test your stamina, how much heat you are able to take.
Your stamina (whether mental, emotional or spiritual) is one thing that will definitely be tested in the race of life. Sometimes the storms of life become so unbearable and yet you are expected to bear it and even take it all in good stride. Your desire to get to the finish line, should keep you on track, no matter how long the race is, or how many hurdles you have to jump or even how strained your muscles are.

#7. TEAM SPIRIT: This I feel is the most Important, possibly for my own sentimental reasons. Remember that in the race of life, you are not the only participant, we ALL are running the same race, all members of the same team, and all running for the same but distinct prize. what do you do when you see your fellow team player down on the field? Logic will say run ahead and leave him there, but wisdom and the true spirit of championship requires you should stop and pick him up. Bearing in mind that the next fall may be yours. The ability to carry each other along is where the team spirit lies…TRUE VICTORY IS NOT HIM WHO WINS THE PRIZE, BUT HIM WHO WINS THE HEART OF THE PEOPLE! There is no sense using and exploiting people, because at the end of the day, we all need each other!

A careful study and implementation of these strategies will evidently make you a winner in life. Run your race as I run mine, and I do look forward to celebrating with you at the finish line!