Expect to Win, But Do These 2 Things First!
Anyone who is a boxing or sports fan will remember what went down on February 11, 1990, at the Tokyo Dome in Tokyo, Japan. What went down was the biggest upset in boxing history and arguably the biggest upset in sports history and a great example of having an attitude of expect to win.
More on that historically significant event in a hot minute but first let’s discuss…
The Difference Between Those Who Win Consistently and Those Who Lose Consistently
In his great book, Born to Win: Find Your Success, author Zig Ziglar explains the difference between those who win on a consistent basis and those who lose on a consistent basis by saying:
“Some of it relates to the talent they have (or don’t have). Some of it relates to how well they planned and prepared to win. But much of the difference relates to how convinced they become about their ability to win! To be really clear about this, winners expect to win, they expect victory, and they expect success! Expecting to win is not just a matter of thinking you will win and willing it to happen (although that is important). Expecting to win is a right that must be earned, and there are some things you must do to earn that right.” 1
The 3 Ingredients That Create Winning Results
Those who are successful consistently do three things – they plan, they prepare, and they expect to win. And the expect to win part is not just something that happens at the end, it is a key third ingredient and something that must be done and improved upon repeatedly.
Planning includes coming up with your goals and setting a plan of action. Preparing is following that plan of action by working toward your objectives every day.
Think about an Olympic weightlifter, they cannot just lie on the beach all day and expect to be successful. First, they must come up with a plan of how to get stronger, then they need to follow that plan every day by working out, getting the proper nutrition, and getting enough rest and recovery.
This type of daily investment into consistent planning and preparation to be better today than we were yesterday is what is necessary for us to EARN the right to expect to win and be successful in anything that we do.
And the 3 Dimensions Needed to Earn the Right to Expect to Win
As Ziglar says, there are 3 dimensions that we must nurture and discipline daily if we are going to expect to win and be successful:
“The first dimension is spiritual, the second dimension is mental, and the third dimension is physical. Each dimension is separate from the others, but they all work together to make up the total person. If any of these dimensions is neglected in the planning and preparing, the right to expect success will be limited.” 1
Let’s now briefly explore each of the 3 dimensions needed to earn the right to expect to win and be successful:
The Spiritual Dimension
This dimension centers around your core values and your commitment to your values. It is about taking time to consider your motives deeply by reflecting on what life is all about to you.
As Ziglar points out that while animals are motivated by the need for survival and the need to reproduce,
“Human beings break the mold of this model because our behavior is driven as much by what we believe as what we need. The things we believe drive our thinking; our thoughts produce emotions that influence our choices; and our choices determine what we do and how we live. In this respect, people are primarily driven and motivated by faith (what they believe).” 1
People improve upon this dimension of their lives differently. Personally, I take time to meditate every day for 10 minutes as soon as I wake up using a free app called ‘Calm’. I also take walks, in nature if possible, and take time every day to do personal reflection. I find it really helps me see the big picture and helps me understand if I am doing the right things.
Others engage in prayer, and some immerse themselves in great literature or music. Again, figure out what works for you.
The Mental Dimension
The second dimension has to do with the mental dimension and being a winner requires us to think like a winner!
In order to exercise our brains daily, there are two things that we need to do:
(1) Add new information that your brain can process
This is all about continuing to learn through our life. Many of us leave school and stop learning which causes our brains to start to atrophy, just like our muscles atrophy if we stop working out. The idea is to spend some time learning every day whether it is reading, listening to podcasts, writing, journaling – whatever!
(2) Process and apply that new information
That new information you have learned is great, but it is useless unless you process it and apply it to your life. In this case, we need to force ourselves to use it and step out of our comfort zone and take new actions to improve our lives.
The Physical Dimension
The third and final dimension relates to caring for our physical body and includes providing it with proper nutrition, exercise, and rest/relaxation.
As Ziglar advises:
“What I am saying is that care of your physical equipment is a choice, and if you choose to care for your body and keep it healthy you will be in a much better position to maximize your potential and therefore your success. The person who makes a million dollars and ruins his health along the way is not a success.” 1
Earning the Right to Expect to Win
As we just discussed, taking care of the spiritual, mental and physical dimensions of our lives on a daily basis will help us earn the right to expect to win – as long as we have also taken the time to plan and prepare as well!
Put Up Your Dukes!
Let’s finish the story from the introduction regarding the biggest upset in boxing history and discuss why it is relevant to this post about expecting to win.
At the time, “Iron” Mike Tyson was the baddest man on the planet. He came into the fight 37-0 and held the WBC, WBA and IBF titles. His opponent, Buster Douglas was widely regarded as a journeyman fighter and came into the bout with a modest 29-4 record.
While Douglas had mixed success in his career up to that point, Tyson was simply dominant in the ring with his previous fight ending after he knocked out Carl “The Truth” Williams in 93 seconds.
Oddsmakers thought the Tyson-Douglas fight would end in a similar fashion as they made Tyson a 42-1 favorite.
Douglas, however, had other plans and his stunning knockout of Tyson in the 10th round completed the unbelievable upset.
As Douglas said after the fight:
“I knew that going into the fight no one was giving me a chance, but I believed, my people believed. That was the motivation. I could care less about what people thought because if that was the case, I would have never turned pro.” 2
In other words, Douglas planned, he prepared, and he expected to win!
Until next time, plan, prepare, and expect to win, and as always PYMFP!
–Rick
Use it Or Lose It
Those who are successful consistently do three things – they plan, they prepare, and they expect to win.
The 3 dimensions needed to earn the right to expect to win are the spiritual dimension, the mental dimension, and the physical dimension.
When to Use It
Use the concept of expect to win every day in your life.
What Do You Think?
What do you think of the concept of expect to win? Do you have any other good examples of expect to win? Please share your thoughts in the comments below!
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References
1 Born to Win: Find Your Success by Zig Ziglar
Well put . When Spiritual , Mental and Physical elements are in sync , success and a comfort level with oneself are usually inevitable.
Hi Eileen, very true and it definitely takes some self-awareness and effort to make it happen. Thanks and be good, Rick