Be a winner

I love winning! Every ounce of me is a competitor. You can challenge me to just about anything and I’ll try my best to win. Running. Check. Pacman. Yep. Corn eating. Yep, that too. And sometimes I do win, but does that make me a winner? You go to Nationals and you win. Are you a winner?

I’d argue that winning doesn’t make you a winner. In fact, you could win over and over again and still not be a winner and you could lose every time and always be a winner.

So what makes a winner? For me and the teams I’ve been a part of, the answer is simple:

• A winner is someone who loves their sport. This means they truly love it! They enjoy it, think about it even when they aren’t doing it, do it for fun, watch it, geek out on it, and miss it when it’s gone #quarantine.

• A winner puts in the effort every.single.day. to the best of their ability. It doesn’t mean every day is their best - that’s not possible - but they give what they can even when (and especially when) it’s hard. When they show up with this effort they show up for themselves and their teammates. This is someone I want on my team.

• A winner wants to learn - and not just the easy lessons. The real ones. The ones that are hard-earned. This means they’re willing to take the risk of making a mistake and they manage those mistakes. They don’t run from the opportunity that falling and “failing” gives them. They seek it out. They’re the ones that always show up to debrief at practice and in competition.

If you show up every day like this, you’ll set yourself up for success and you’ll contribute to creating a team culture where everyone is a winner. (Shhhh, secret’s out…this is the foundation for mental training…more to come)

"Winning is not a sometime thing; it's an all the time thing. You don't win once in a while; you don't do things right once in a while; you do them right all of the time. Winning is a habit. Unfortunately, so is losing - Vince Lombardi