Who Wins?

Feb 2, 2010 by Rebecca

Winners come in all shapes and sizes, but they often share common qualities. Many of these qualities can be learned, or at least strengthened. The most necessary characteristics are perseverance, energy, and self-confidence.

You will notice that these are very interrelated.  People rarely have perseverance without self-confidence and energy. Perseverance is critical to success because without it, you fold at the first challenge. As we all know, life throws lots of challenges out to those who are striving to win.

Energy may be the most ethereal of the qualities.  It is hard to define, but we all know it when we see it because it is contagious.  A winner’s energy drives people to spread the word about that person’s wonderful product or service. One of the reasons that energy is so contagious is that it makes the winner’s ideas fresher and more innovative than average – which is why people are so attracted to them in the first place.

Self-confidence is necessary because it allows you to recognize your own great idea and get behind it.  People have brilliant ideas every day, but quickly find faults with them and dwell on the reasons why they will never work.  The brilliant idea dies a death of a thousand cuts because its author doesn’t have the confidence to work through the challenges.  The creator doesn’t value his own ideas enough to throw everything into them and pursue his dream.

This list can be daunting, because few of us have this perfect trio of winning qualities all the time.  The point is to recognize that this mix is exactly what you need if you are serious about winning.  When you feel your confidence flagging, find a pick-me-up instead of caving into energy-sapping doubt or sloth.  Don’t give up on your brilliant ideas without a fight.  It may be tough, but winning is worth it.