Marcus Cook August 10, 2020 What do Jeff Bezos, Michael Jordan, John Wooden, and Steve Jobs all have in common? Yes, they are all very successful in their respective careers, but how exactly did they get there? I’ll tell you right now Jeff Bezos didn’t become a billionaire and leader of the most successful online eCommerce platform by accident. Nor did John Wooden win ten NCAA championships by accident.
These individuals share what I like to call a winning mentality, allowing them to succeed beyond reasonable measures. In this piece, I will teach you how to develop such a mindset and how to implement it into your business.
What is a Winning Mentality?
Mindset is everything when it comes to being successful. It does not matter how talented you are, how many connections you have, or how much adversity you face. If you do not have the right mindset, you will not go very far; plain and simple. Every single person out there can be great, and it all starts with your mindset.
A true winners mindset acknowledges the adversity they face and believes they can overcome it. A loser’s mindset does the opposite. They give up, thinking, “that’s too hard” or “I’m too tired, maybe tomorrow.” But will that make you successful? Absolutely not.
The majority of people have a loser’s mindset, but that’s not why you’re here reading this article. You want that winner’s mindset… which is already a step in the right direction. A winner’s mindset, however, is earned, not given, and we all must start somewhere when developing one.
How to Develop a Winning Mentality
Talent
The first thing I cannot emphasize enough is do not rely on your talent alone. We all possess some kind of talent in one form or another. As an entrepreneur, you’re more than likely developing a business in an area based around your talents. However, this can also be a trap. Successful people do not rely on their talent alone because they realize that is not enough.
Think of Michael Jordan. Yes, he was obviously extremely talented. However, he was also the hardest worker on the court. Successful people like Jordan work on their craft. They understand their weaknesses and rather shy away, attack them to make themselves stronger.
Grit
Second is the ability to develop grit. Grit is defined as the strength of character, having courage, and resolve. Having high levels of grit will help you battle through adversity, bouncing back through the losses, and continuing your vision. This is a key difference between winners and losers. The winners continue to get back up no matter how many times they get knocked down, and that is true grit.
In the book Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, written by UPenn professor Angela Duckworth advocates that grit, not talent or luck, predicts high levels of achievement. Having the ability to face adversity and remain focused on your goal is a far greater gift than a high IQ and will further contribute to your success.
Trust
Next, you must trust your vision and trust yourself. As an entrepreneur, you started your business with a vision, and you need to continue to trust that vision. A winning mindset involves trusting the process and remaining unshakeable when it comes to your vision. Now I’m not saying you shouldn’t pivot as your business needs, but you must stay consistent with your vision.
This is often easier said than done. Especially as an entrepreneur, you’ll be facing a lot of outside opinions and negativity. However, a winning mentality involves mental toughness and emotional resilience to ignore outside opinions and trust yourself. Others are quick to criticize, and you must learn to accept this. Nothing great comes easy.
Action
While all of these things will certainly help you develop a winning mindset, you still have to take action. You simply cannot think your way to success. Many people often sit back and over analyze the situation, not wanting to assume too many risks. This can result in becoming stagnant and risk-averse, which could lead you to missing opportunities.
Failure is part of the process, learn from your mistakes, and continue to grow stronger. Be willing to take action, even potential incorrect action, and make it a habit. Winning mindsets are developed. Get out there and get to work.
Routine
Successful people do not sit back and let the day pass them by. When you do not have a routine to follow, you are letting the world dictate your day. Instead of going into each day with a relaxed attitude, make a plan of attack.
Plan exactly how your day will go beforehand. Something that really helped me attack each day was making a to-do list of 5 goals that I would need to accomplish before each day ended. These goals should not be “check emails” but rather geared towards more critical tasks that allow you to move further ahead.
Many successful people who truly embody the winning mindset find themselves starting their routines before the sun comes up. For example, Apple CEO Tim Cook wakes up at 3:40 am.
Jeff Bezos, as mentioned earlier, is a great example of a true winner’s mentality. He awakes early, spends time with his family, and always sets his most important meeting of the day for 10 am. Bezos credits consistency with the ability to set himself up for success day in and day out.
These values are what you should embody and trust to develop a winning mentality.
How to Implement Winning into your Business
Now that you understand what goes into making a true winning mindset, you need to implement it in your business. As an entrepreneur, you are the leader of your company or brand. Your employees will look at you as a role model. If you embody the values stated above, this will transfer to your employees and business.
Having the confidence to display these characteristics will allow your employees to truly believe in you, your vision, and the company’s future or brand. Not only will you have a winning mindset, but your business will have a winning culture. This is something that cannot be bought or given. It is earned.
Key Takeaways
Nothing happens by accident. Greatness is a choice that encompasses the winner’s mindset. You can develop this mindset and accomplish whatever you put your mind to. Realize there will be ups and downs, but with grit and trust, you will be able to power through the tough times and ride the highs. Remember to act. No one ever achieved anything by sitting around all day. Never be satisfied and stay hungry.
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