A champion is someone who won first place in a competition. It is also someone who fights for a cause, sees a challenge as an opportunity and never gives up. A Champion does what is right even when no one is looking. They find the skills to be successful. A champion is mentally tough to handle the pressure of competition. What does a champion look like? Are you a champion? How does a champion do things differently? Some people feel that desire separates a champion from the rest of us. I think it takes desire and determination! Can you be a champion if you are not in a competition?
What does this have to do with personal finance? Many former Olympians and professional athletes are recruited in business because they have the discipline and focus to be successful. They have enviable traits that are adaptable and well suited for business. Why? They performed at a very high level in their chosen sport as a professional athlete or Olympic medal winner. Personal finance uses many of the same traits. Success with your financial goals requires discipline and focus. So you make your financial goals and develop a plan to achieve your goals, now what? Even if you do everything right, you have to monitor and adjust for changes weekly or daily. Professional athletes or Olympians do this in their chosen sport as part of their practice and competition.
Can you be successful with personal finance without being an athlete? Absolutely! Let’s act like a champion! A champion would take a goal and break it down to daily tasks. Then measure the results weekly to make sure they are on track to reach or achieve the goal. If the weekly result falls short, they increase the effort or change the routine. They are used to having coaches, so they are not afraid to ask for advice. It is not a negative to ask for help for a champion. Champions are used to adjusting their effort because their instrument is a human body which does not always respond perfectly to training. Last champions fail! Yes, I said fail! The difference is Champions do not take it personally and they never give up. They adjust, make necessary changes and try again, again and again until they succeed.
Why do champions succeed in sports and business? They apply skills they learned in athletics and apply them to business. The first of five champion skills start with breaking down goals into daily tasks. The second is monitor and measure weekly results. The third is adjust effort or make changes if you fall short on weekly results. The fourth is take advice or help similar to a coach during training. The last skill is never give up no matter what. That one trait makes a champion more than any other.
Remember champions are made not born! You can learn how to become a champion. Champions succeed because they are focused and goal oriented. They have a confident, can do attitude and know how to succeed. Champions do not try to do something. They succeed because they are willing to do everything to achieve the goal. Are you a champion? Can you make changes to become a champion? What do you think?
Photo by: A Journey Round My Skull
I love this post. Yes, with desire and determination, anyone can become a champion. I believe many fall short because they don’t see immediate results. Great athletes train, sometimes for years, before they achieve excellence. Your number five skill (never give up) rightfully addresses this aspect of becoming a champion. It is all too easy to give up when, after laboring for months or maybe years, one still doesn’t achieve what they are striving for. But who is to say? Those results may be just around the corner.
Thanks, this is one of the reasons I think sports is good for kids. They learn about working toward a goal, practice and adjusting your efforts.
Totally agree! In my opinion, being a champion isn’t that hard compared to training to be an athlete!
To me, a champion exhibits certain traits or techniques to succeed. Those techniques can be applied to many things such as school, work or sports.
I love the analogy. I also think there is another feature of champions (negative actually), that prevents many of us from reaching our stretch goals. Many olympic champions get consumed by their sport, they train 5+ hours a day, have special diets and pretty much just eat, sleep and train.
Most people don’t become champions because they are not willing to be #1 at the expense of everything else in their lives. If you want to be a millionaire, you can also work around the clock and drive yourself to be successful, but most of us want families, hobbies, and down time as well.
You bring up some interesting points. I agree with you that some people are consumed with their sport or work, but that is not the ideal. I am suggesting using some of the techniques that champions use to succeed.
Great post! This describes exactly how I learned to play the violin. No reason the same approach can’t be applied to other areas of my life!
Thanks for your comment. Successful traits can be applied to everything,. You are absolutely correct!
I agree. People simply ignore the law of process. You’re not always where you want to be initially, and that’s completely okay. After all, who really is?
You are right! How many of us reflect on what we do and how many do something about it?
I agree, it take practice and tenacity to become a champion and success in life!
The sports aspect is one of the reasons I want my kids in sports! To learn that becoming good at something require focus and practice!
I think sports and games should be 50% of a child’s education. It teaches discipline, strategy, tenacity, teamwork, hard work, and disappointment.