01 Jun Mental Jewels: Championship Qualities Part 2

Mental Jewels for a Money continue. Training the mind is just as important as the body... Last Week I dropped part 1 of the mental Jewels about how to be a champion, and this week we finish it up with part 2. Get your leadership on this week, let us know how you plan to do it in the comments.

Championship Mindset Number 4: Personal Accountability

A Champion rarely looks for other people to blame when something goes wrong. Instead, they focus on what they could have done to make the situation work out better, even when it wasn’t something they did or didn’t do. A Champion doesn’t bother worrying about the actions of other people, because he knows that he cannot control the actions of others, he can only control his own actions.

In this same vein, a Champion never makes excuses for why they did not progress as they would have liked, they simply look for ways to progress the next time. A Champion also realizes the value in defeat and takes that time to learn from prior mistakes and grow from the experience, instead of dwelling on it and making excuses as to why it happened.

This is a very empowering mindset to adopt, as it allows you realize that you are more in control of every situation you encounter than you previously realized. Instead of placing blame on other people and outside influences of which you have no control over, put the responsibility on yourself to make changes and impact the world around you. Instead of worrying about what someone else does, start to wonder about what you can do differently from here on out.

You can never make other people’s decisions for them, but you have 100% control over all of your own decisions.

Championship Mindset Number 5: Less Motivation, More Dedication

There is almost nothing I like more in life that training. There were times in my life that I was literally obsessed with it. I used to wake up thinking about training, plan out my workouts laying in bed at night, think about my muscles growing 24/7. I love it.

But I gotta be honest with you guys and girls… There are days when I roll out of bed and don’t really feel like eating another damn bowl of eggs and oatmeal, when I’m sore all over and I don’t really feel like driving to the gym and working my ass into the ground again. The motivation just isn’t there.

I'll be damned if this doesn't look tempting some days

The good news is that I’m not Motivated… I’m Dedicated to reach to my goals. That means I crack those egg shells, cook that oatmeal, and put on my gym gear and get to work anyway. I gotta tell you by the end of the warm up I’m usually chomping at the bit to go… The motivation comes, but the dedication has to be there first.

It’s not just weight lifting either. For those of us who play an instrument I know you feel me when I say you feel like you’re going to kill yourself if you have to practice boring scales, playing techniques, or anything other than playing your favorite songs… But to be the best you can be you have to be dedicated to laying that groundwork, and sticking to the plan provides its own reward in the end.

So the next time you feel tired or think you can’t eat one more bowl of rice again, remind yourself of why you have chosen this path and that you need to do what needs to be done to get there, motivated or not.

Become A Champion

This is certainly not an exhaustive list of the traits of the Championship Mindset, but it is definitely a good start. I hope many of you are already doing most of these, and if not I do hope you will give them a try, as they will no doubt lead to more success and a more fulfilling life. They certainly have for me and others.

I’d love to hear what other things YOU all are doing to become Champions in your own right. How are YOU living your life that empowers you and those around you, that fosters success and creativity, and that separates you from the pack? Let us know in the comments... A rising tide raises all ships, so lets get this tide up as high as we can get it.