Traits of winners

Winners have common traits that each of us has the ability to practice. What is it that a winner does that makes them a winner?

Every winner has a set of tools, tips, and habits that help them become winners. All we need to do is put them into practice. Here is a small collection of habits that are common among winners:

Create a winning attitude. A winning attitude starts with you. Great sports figures, loving parents, and top CEOs expect to win. Winners create their own state of mind. Think about it from the perspective that you are already a winner in that you live in the land of the opportunity; the Unites States of America. You've hit the lottery! Ask any foreign immigrant and they will say that in the United States you can be anything you want to become. The choice is yours!

Take frequent risks. The story is always the same among winners. Whether it's Bill Gates, Mohammed Ali, Sylvester Stallone, or the countless names you wouldn't recognize; they took risks before ultimately achieving what is that they wanted. Right down to you and me. We take risks everyday. We risk looking like a fool, we risk making a mistake, we risk being wrong. So what! Take the calculated risk.

Be willing to fail. Thomas Watson wrote, "The way to accelerate your success is to double your failure rate." Winners have to live with the fact that failure is inevitable. We might fail a test, we might make a bad decision, and we might be unnecessarily out spoken. But winners also realize that failure is a learning lesson and not an ultimate defeat. We learn more by failing than winning because failing shows us how to win. Winners learn from their mistakes and profit from them.

Cease to seek the approval of others. Every extraordinary achievement is made possible by choosing to ignore the impossible. Trust yourself. Draw upon your own intuitive insights to guide you to your positive realization. Socrates, Galileo, Columbus, Edison and Einstein are appropriate examples of your power to manifest what you desire. Every great business, family and athletic champion has had to overcome what other people thought they were or weren't capable of achieving.

Practice self-love. Lucille Ball said it best, "Love yourself first and everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get anything done in this world." Society has adopted a negative belief that loving yourself means that you are conceited or arrogant. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those people who love themselves have the most to give. People who hold themselves in high esteem are the people who make the contributions that uplift the consciousness of the world. Whatever is impressed on the inside will be expressed on the outside.

Put your dreams in writing. Most of us have vague ideas of what we want to do when we grow up. But winners have a precise picture in their mind. Imagine where you want to be in five years. Get yourself some paper and a pen and write out your perfect day. Start with describing waking in the morning and end with falling asleep that night. Describe who you are, who you are with, what you are doing and how you spend your time. Be as specific as you can. Note the sensory details what you see, smell, hear, taste and smell. Make it real on the page so that it can become real in your life. Personal development guru Napoleon Hill said it best, "Living without a definite major purpose promises nothing but a scant living."

Take responsibility for your actions. Abe Lincoln explained, "I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be." Winners take accountability for creating their life. Winners know that they must take credit for their failures or they won't be able to take credit for their successes. Avoid pointing your finger at anyone but yourself and the world around you takes on a whole new perspective.

Make appropriate sacrifices. Look at any successful person and you will see someone who worked their butt off to get there. Frequent 16-hour days, adhering to tight budgets, limited personal time, etc. are a hallmark of every winner. What sacrifices are you willing to make as a winner? Keep in mind to not be too extreme in your sacrifices. Sacrificing your family and your health is too great of a cost. Basketball superstar Kareem Abdul Jabbar shared, "I think that the good and the great are only separated by the willingness to sacrifice."

Build strategic alliances. Winners surround themselves with other winners. Who can you engage with that can help you achieve your goals? How can you also help them? Teamwork is known to divide the tasks and double your success. Searching for, and aligning yourself with, other people to satisfy mutually beneficial goals is a rewarding experience. On the other side of the coin, who can you start to distance yourself from that is draining your energy?

Exercise the body and the mind. Winners take the time to regularly engage in physical activity, which helps to maintain high energy and stamina. Do what fits your personality such as, hiking, yoga, weight lifting, walking, running, or swimming. Additionally, exercise your mind by taking classes, reading books, watching instructional videos or listening to audio programs. Do whatever works best for your preferred learning style.

Being a winner is a choice. Go ahead. Grab onto a few of these tools, tips and habits to make a measurable difference in the quality of your life. You deserve it.

Best of success to you!

Jeffrey Benjamin is the co-author of "Real Life Habits for Success" contributing author in the book. "The Sleeping Giant: The Awakening of the Self Employed Entrepreneur," and the founder of Breakthrough Training. He hosts Breakthrough Radio every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. on 99.1 FM Talk. Contact him through www.breakthroughtraining.com.