Skip to main content

Winning In Life Mindset

 


Today I am writing about having a winning mindset in life.  The definition of winning is to gain victory, overcome an opponent, gain status or conquer something or someone.  As a career football, wrestling and softball coach I have spent the better part of my adult life trying to win sporting events.  I have had my fair share of victories along the way and accomplished some pretty amazing goals.  

However, I have had tough losses along the way and learned as much, maybe more from those defeats about dealing with life and its shortcomings.  As a player I had the opportunity to be on some really good teams one in particular in college that was undefeated and a championship program.  As a high school coach I have been part of state caliber programs, coached on conference and regional title teams.  

On goal I have as a head coach is to win the ultimate prize, and that is a team state title in football or wrestling.  I have won conference titles and had numerous conference, regional and a few state championship caliber wrestlers.  However, the elusive team title has remained a target of mine to this day.  As I head into the later years of my coaching career (retired from football) for now in 2018 and am still an active head wrestling coach.  

I have work to do and am seeking that team title which would top things off for me and allow me to walk away on my terms and completely satisfied with how things ended. However, if that elusive team title never comes, then I will be OK going forward knowing that I did about as much as I could to gain that title, but it may not be in the formula or plan of my life.

Winning in sports and life are very similar as both take dedication, discipline and determination to overcome obstacles, bumps in the road and setbacks to continue to get up everyday and fight for your goals.  As a career teacher, coach and mentor I have kept the same type of plan for success in work, family, life and spiritual and so far it has been rewarding and a fun journey.  One of wins, losses, hills, bumps, straight roads, dirt roads, valleys and mountains.  

The only way to have gotten through all those was to do the three things mentioned above.  You can google winning at life or sports and get a million ideas, thoughts, plans and actions to follow to be successful.  Below are my four things I like to do to pursue my goals, dreams and the opportunities God gives me.

1- Know where you are and where you want to be.

2- Make a plan for success, analyze it and tweak it as needed to stay on track.

3- Focus on your mental, physical, spiritual, work, life, family, relationship and other goals with dedication, determination and discipline.  

4- Do not try anything without God in the plan.  Make sure to give it to him, pray for guidance and strength to overcome and battle to get where you want to be.

Lastly, never quit on yourself, your family or your dreams and goals, staying on top will be even harder to maintain.  At that point you have to focus on the three D's above even more so and know that a fall from the top may occur, but once you have reached that pinnacle of success in life, sports, jobs, relationships, and spirituality no-one can take that away from you.  No-one can slight your accomplishments because you know what it took to get there.  Winning at life is fun and is an adventure.  Embrace your gifts, opportunities and seek them with vigor using the three D's.  Pray to God for guidance and watch what happens!

Philippians 4:13, I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

2nd Timothy 2:5, An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.

Lord, make me a winner at life.  Make me a winner with my family, friends and relationships.  Help me to focus through you on the three D's to become what I know you want me to be.  Amen

faith, family, friends, life

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Polly and Beona- Two Peas in a Pod

Sisterly Love- My mom and her older sister, my Aunt Beona were two of the most wonderful people one could ever know.  My family, immediate friends and so many others were touched by these ladies in so many ways.  Both of these wonderful ladies have went on to be with God and I know they are now watching over their kids, families and others.  They talked everyday on the phone, regardless of what happened or may have come up they spoke everyday.  My mom would call over and ask to speak to Beona and of course, my Uncle Robert would answer the phone and proceed to give her a hard time about calling and pick at her.  Mom loved to talk to Robert and looked forward to giving him a little of his quick wit right back to him on those phone calls.  Robert didn't hear very well so the television would be turned up to about maximum volume if you called or stopped by to visit with them.  You would have to knock on the door several times for him to hear you.  On...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

Leaving 2020 and Moving into 2021- My Must Do's

Some of my readers may or may not know that 2020 was a very tough year for me and my family.  I personally have battled heart issues, covid and other sickness since September of 2020.  I had three hospital stays, a couple of real scares as far as living another day and this has took a toll on me mentally, physically and spiritually.  But it did force me to take a hard look at my past, present and future growth in all three of these areas that are required for us to function healthy in life each day.  Taking this hard look will enable me to build a brighter future in all three areas of my existence.  You may not need all three, but for me they go tit for tat and connect the dots of the life style I live.  I must have all three to be strong of mind, body and soul.  Everyone writes a bunch of new year resolutions that they intend to work on for the new year and go flying into the new year all fired up and on a mission.  Then soon, the mission becomes...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

Sundays At Grandma Smiths

Right After Church- When I was a kid growing up we would all go to church on Sunday and then head straight over to my Grandma Smiths house and spend all afternoon eating lunch, playing outside, watching football and fellowshipping with family and friends.  When I say family and friends, I mean the entire extended family of at least 20-30 people.  My grandparents were not rich so I do not know how they fed all of us every week like that.  We did have some great fresh garden veggies, potatoes and corn that was grown on the property.  It was the coolest place to go and spend time growing up.  We had all the outdoor activity a child or teenager needed.   Summertime Fun And Sports- Summer time was my favorite season as the grass was nice and green and much softer to land on when your cousins and brothers piled on top of you playing tackle football.  Of course, we played with no pads and you got busted up good on most Sundays.  We played every spor...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

Battling Covid 19

I took a few days off from blogging as I have been recovering from Covid 19 over the Christmas Holidays.  I am writing this to tell my story of the battle I fought with Covid and how it has impacted me and the family this past week and a half.  Since Covid hit we have been very focused on avoiding it the best we could and took precautions to not contract it.  That all changed a week and half ago as we were exposed to someone that did not know they were a carrier and within a few days the wife and I started feeling bad and suspected that we may have contracted it just prior to the Holidays.  It started out like a common cold with runny nose, chest congestion and stomach ache.  We tried for three days to find a testing site close to the house and eventually drove down the road about forty five minutes to be rapid tested.  We were steadily getting sicker and within  a few days of the test we got the results back that we were positive for the virus.  ...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

Spending Time With God

Do you ever just stop and spend time with God?  I try to pray three times per day morning, noon and night to make sure I speak with God.  Sometimes I fail at that goal because life can get in the way.  The quantity of prayer in my opinion is not greater than the quality.  Doing it three times a day allows me to focus on the things I need guidance on.   Our spiritual needs can change in a minute, an hour or a day.  Give those to Fod and know that he has heard those and will action them for you.  God wants us to spend time with him, seeking his guidance for our lives, relationships and jobs. My favorite way to seek time with God is to go out behind my house and sit near a huge tree in the shade and talk to God.   Maybe you have have your "quiet time" or devotional time or whatever we call it to seek guidance.  When you do seek God do it with conviction, with an open heart, mind and soul.  Do not half heartedly pray for things tha...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

Five Simple Changes to Kick Start Weight Loss

Today I am writing a quick blog post about simple ideas and changes that will allow you to begin the process of losing a few pounds at a time and getting healthier in 2021. I myself began the process of working on my health and weight back in the middle months of 2020 just prior to getting sick with heart issues and then Covid 19 hit me hard. I had lost about 15 pounds by making some small changes and was beginning to feel the physical effects (positive) of the small weight loss and changes the wife and I had made to our diet plan, exercise routine and activity. When Covid hit me in December of 2020, the weight started flying off literally as I have since dropped about 30 pounds so far and things are starting to level off now as I am healing daily, gaining my appetite back and strength a day at a time. I plan to continue to lose weight, get lean and work on total health in 2021. I am not talking going crazy and becoming a gym rat, just small simple changes that will help me live a ...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

End of Times- 2nd Timothy

 I had a vision lastnight about the end of times. Before I went to bed I asked my spirit guides and God to give me a sign of things to come. As I went to sleep I was thinking about how things are going in the world right now and all the troubles we are facing as mankind. I went to sleep and my prayer was answered and I got a clear vision of several huge storms and a war that included the world. It starts with Russia/Ukraine and spreads to China/America and is all about balance of power and movement into other countries that American political fugures have huge amounts of $$ interest in. I saw cities torn to pieces by clans of people hell bent on destroying towns. They broke into stores, burned down houses and stole whatever they wanted all in the name of an ideaology. I saw floods, dry rivers, and other biblical predicted things happening. I saw a dry river and four massive demon angels moving to the four corners of the earth and creating hysteria, plagues and ammassing...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

All I Want For Christmas 2020 and Beyond

My wife and I have grown kids and they are always asking us what we want for Christmas.  Many parents out there of grown children can relate to this dilemma and we all probably give the same answer over and over.  We say "I don't know", "I don't want anything", "I don't need anything", or my favorite which is "I just want to be with you on Christmas day".  I sometimes even tell them "my two front teeth" just to get them riled up.  My wife and I are blessed and we really do not have anything on a list that we need.  Heck, we all have online ordering and next day delivery for all those things we want to buy.  I wrote yesterday about A Covid Christmas which is what we are celebrating this year as we all have Covid and are separated for the Holidays.   We all have family traditions like gathering, eating, fellowshipping and sharing gifts with family and friends.  For years we have always opened one present Christmas eve as a fa...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts
    Spiders vs. Me, Bathroom Battles and Facing Fear Today I am writing about an experience I had this morning in the bathroom as I was preparing for work.  I assume that your bathrooms are equipped like ours with nothing to kill a spider with other than toilet paper.  We don't have a fly swatter, shoes, sticks, etc. to face those mean little creepy crawly critters.  The standoff with these little mean monsters began after I had entered the bathroom to get ready to shower.  As I am getting ready to step into the shower, a mean looking spider about the size of a dime decides to walk across my foot.  Once I realize what it is I panic and about fall over dead right there in the bathroom.  Sorry for the visual but I am in my birthday suit preparing to bath and in no way prepared to face down a spider attack.  So I feel the little monster on my foot and kick as hard as I can, well that worked to get him off my foot, but didn't work so well as my f...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts

Covid Christmas 2020

This week my wife and I tested positive for the Covid 19 virus and are locked down at home for the Christmas Holidays.  We have been very careful to avoid people, mostly staying at home and using proper protective measures for months.  Our oldest daughter has it also and is stuck in Florida for the Holidays, while our youngest daughter is finishing up her covid lockdown from being positive a few weeks ago.  We have called all the family to advise that we cannot meet with them on Christmas day to eat breakfast, open presents, fellowship and most importantly celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.   This however does not mean that Christmas cannot be just as special because we will get together in a week or so when everything clears up and everyone is well enough to be safe to gather.  This Christmas will be unlike any we have ever experienced with covid lockdowns, infection rates spiking and the need to being safer than ever.  People ar...
Post a Comment
Click Here for more posts