I've always loved reading about, watching, investigating ordinary people who do EXTRAORDINARY things. What makes someone become a champion? What do they have that others don't. Here's what I've discovered!
Champions don’t become champions when they win the event, but in the hours, weeks, and months they spend preparing for it.
As we prepare to celebrate the Summer Olympics at The Healthy Weigh this summer, I can't help but think about what it takes to be a champion!
Champions are positive thinkers; they believe in themselves.
Champions share in a belief that they will succeed. Champions always look for the good in every situation. No matter what obstacles they encounter, they always continue to think positive. Without confidence, faith in your abilities, and positive mental attitude, you’ve defeated yourself before you ever step out to succeed. You can choose the mind of a champion today!
Champions visualize their successes.
Champions understand the importance of positive mental imagery or visualization. We believe that at The Healthy Weigh. We believe that the mind is a powerful tool in your success. To be a champion, you must practice seeing yourself at goal weight. Practicing and becoming good at visualization is a must in the life of a champion.
Champions surround themselves with positive people and avoid negative influences.
Champions keep themselves in a "positive shell" and do not associate with negative people, places, or things. Choose who you spend time with…limit your time with negative influences…spread out your time with positive people that help you live out your best life! Invest in establishments, books, tapes, friends…who bring champion like thinking in to your world!
Champions are goal setters.
Champions realize that if they don’t know where they’re going, that is exactly where they’ll end up; nowhere! Champions consistently set long and short-term goals. From day to day goals to long term career objectives, champion’s have written out specific, measurable goals with a deadline. They understand the importance of the reward system to change behavior permanently…set goals, reward self, set goals, reward self…over and over…that’s what champions do. That’s what you can do starting today!
Champions have a burning desire to succeed.
Champions not only have goals, but they ardently desire them. Robert Collier, summed up the idea of desire beautifully in his 1926 self-help classic Secret of the Ages. He said, "Very few people know how to desire with sufficient intensity. They do not know what it is to feel and manifest that intense, eager, longing, craving, insistent, demanding, ravenous desire which is akin to the persistent, insistent, ardent, overwhelming desire of the drowning man for a breath of air, or a desert-lost man for a drink of water, or the famished man for bread and meat." Champions have burning desire. They want it and they want it badly. How bad so you want the body you deserve? Do you want it as bad as your next breath? If you do…you’re a champion!
Champions are disciplined and consistent.
Champions live and breathe their new lifestyle all year round. They are committed and disciplined in training and dietary practices. They know that when you’re changing your life permanently there is no off-season and success does not come overnight.
One day at a time…making the healthy choice no matter what yesterday looked like.
Champions are persistent.
Champions never, ever quit. Thomas Edison was the epitome of persistence: He conducted 10,000 experiments before finally finding a filament that would burn in the electric light bulb. Champions know that if they persist long enough, eventually they must succeed.
Champions learn from their failures.
Champions don't view losses as failures, they see them as learning experiences. When asked how it felt to fail 10,000 times, Thomas Edison replied, "I didn’t fail, I learned 9,999 ways that wouldn’t work." Champions know that they haven’t failed until they quit; but once they quit, then they have failed. A champion finds a lesson in every apparent loss and finds ways to grow from it.
Champions have incredible powers of focus and concentration.
Champions set goals and then maintain a laser-like focus on them. They have the ability to always keep the long term objective in their sights while focusing 100% on what they are doing at the moment. If you watch a champion train you will notice that they are completely oblivious to their surroundings. 100% of their focus and concentration is on what they are doing. They almost appear to have slipped into a hypnosis-like trance. This peak physiological and psychological state has often been referred to as being in "the zone" or being in "flow." Champions can access this state instantly at will. When it comes time to train they turn everything else off and zero in on what they are doing. What does it look like to be in the zone on your healthy eating plan…I know, I’ve been in the zone. It almost feel like you’re Teflon…nothing can get to you, because you’ve decided!
Champions have a deep love and boundless enthusiasm for the sport, the program….what ever it may be.
To a loser, training and dieting is work and drudgery. To a champion, training and dieting are a love, a joy, and a passion. Champions are enthusiastic about what they do; they can’t wait to train each day. Motivational speaker Tom Hopkins once said, "Work is anything you’re doing when you’d rather be doing something else." Champions are doing what they love, so to them it’s not work at all, its fun!
Champions strive for constant and never ending improvement.
Champions are never satisfied with the status quo; they never rest on their laurels. Champions aim for small improvements every day in every way. Champions are open-minded and are always looking for a better way to do things. Although champions are always striving for more, they also realize that success is a journey, so they enjoy each moment and savor every step along the way.
Champions are hard workers; they are willing to go the extra mile.
Positive thinking, goal setting, visualization, desire, persistence, and enthusiasm are vital, but without action and hard work, these traits are all worthless. Edison said, "Success is 98% perspiration and 2% inspiration." Champions are hard workers. Champions take consistent action and they are willing to do the things that the losers are not.
Our Champions at The Healthy Weigh face many obstacles during their weight loss programs. Parties, graduations, taking children to college, tragic deaths, family reunions, weddings, vacations, daily temptations both at work and home…all the things, that we all face.
What sets our champions apart…is that even in the midst of all those events and seemly “out of control” times…they truly knew that they DID have control over what they ate, how they responded and what they chose to do!
Champions aren’t born, they are made. They are made by the choices they make every day. By the way they choose to think when they’ve gotten off track and need to get back on, by the way they continue going when they going gets real tough.
Are you a champion? What choices can you make even this weekend to call yourself one? Here's to a weekend of extraordinary choices!
Always encouraging you,
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