If I am asked to coach someone to be a winner, these are some of the steps I will use to start:

Step One: Get in the right race.

Many people never achieve the success/win the race of life they wanted because they entered the wrong competition. They are aiming for the wrong targets. We should ask ourselves “where do I want to go in life and what do I eventually want to accomplish?” Until we know how we want our life to end, we will never know the steps to take to succeed. Of course, I believe that starts with a decision to allow Christ to set your path. Proverbs 16:9 says, “In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps.”

Step Two: Discipline for the race.

Winning happens over time; not in an instant. The greatest athletes work hours outside the game in order to perhaps win even a single game. Victory doesn’t often happen without hard, painful work to get there. It takes diligence and consistency to be a winner. Winners learn their individual skills and continue to develop them.

Step Three: Develop character first.

People who truly win in life spend a great amount of time on the development of themselves and others around them. Most of the successful business people and church leaders I know set aside time each week for personal development. They are frequently in the gym, reading a good book, and attending a church on Sunday. They recognize that they must be relationally and emotionally healthy if they want to have success in life.

Step Four: Accept Failure

Most winners are built through brokenness. The greatest leaders have failed many times. Before inventing the light bulb, Thomas Edison failed a thousand times. Babe Ruth had 714 home runs and 1,330 strikeouts. Abraham Lincoln was said to have failed so many times, in business, in his love life, in politics but finally became one of the greatest presidents of the United States. Allow failure to be your friend not your enemy.

Step Five: Ignore unnecessary distractions.

Winners don’t give up when obstacles get in the way of achieving their goals. They find a way to work around them. Life is full of disappointments and set backs, but the winner learns to keep pushing forward. The winner also doesn’t waste a lot of time and energy on the wrong things.

Step Six: Stay in the race.

If a person wants to win he or she has to stay in the race. One cannot be a quitter and still win. Many times the winner is the one with the most heart. Often we see the underdog team come from behind to win simply because they have more passion. If you want to be a winner…if you want to achieve success…stay in the game!

Choose today to be a winner! Don’t let your “hope to dos” become your “wish you hads”.