Having A Champion’s Mentality

I have been thinking a lot lately about how very fortunate I have been to be a part of championship teams during my lifetime. As an athlete, I competed in four sports growing up, and many of my teammates, coaches and mentors have taught me some invaluable lessons – truly life altering. Those individuals, along with my family and friends, helped me to form a foundation that has allowed me to build upon – and I am forever grateful. 

Recently I sat down and started writing about what it truly means to have the traits of a champion. I realize there is a lot of material out there that you may have read – and I too have read a lot of materials from successful coaches, athletes, business leaders, church leaders, and mentors over the years. I have tired to live these traits first hand as a player on championship teams, as a father and husband, and as a coach and business mentor.

Some of the traits that make athletes successful in sports, can also be applied to our everyday lives – and I wanted to share some of those insights with you…

I’m not just talking about the most popular athletes you can rattle off from around the world – I’m referring to the championship teams that seem to be set apart from the rest of the crowd. These are the teams that actually accelerate to the top of their sport, and are crowned “Champion” after a long season of grinding out wins. 

I have been on teams that have won regional, state, and national championships. I have been declared the champion in individual races/events in track & field. I have been on business teams that have truly excelled above and beyond the competition. And, I have been awarded individual and team awards for business and community involvement over the years. In short, I can pick out those teams that reached the highest pinnacle – because they were uncommon. Why were they uncommon? I think it comes down to these 10 things that make them that way…

1. Expect to Win – Go out and fulfill your dreams, believe in winning, and in prosperity…if it’s your focus – then it’s achievable!
2. Commitment – Be committed every day, and think of clever ways to achieve victory, and always perform at optimal levels.
3. Become the Master of your sport/job/relationships – Champions master their art, and perform at the level of a Master.
4. Suffers Pain and Being Uncomfortable for the Pleasure of a Future Result – Champions are willing to put in the effort to achieve the pinnacle of who they want to become.
5. Obsesses About Getting to the Next Level – Champions get excited just thinking about achieving the next level, then they go out and work for it.
6. Craves Victory – Champions love the euphoric feeling of winning. Even the small wins mean a lot! 
7. Accountability – Champions hold themselves accountable, and will expect other team members to do the same. “Do your job, and I will do mine” is their attitude.
8. Protective of Team, Family, Friends – Always protect those that you play with, work with, live with, associate with. Defend and protect them when they are down.
9. Strive for and Maintain a Positive Attitude – Champions turn negative thoughts to the “Off “Position, and focus on achievement and success.
10. Concentrate Your Attention – Focus on that one thing, and go out and achieve it!

I hope this helps you as it has helped me to think about what it’s like to have a champions mentality. My company, and my team members at RX2Live are on the road to winning championships, and it’s a great feeling to be a part of a championship team! Send me some feedback and let me know what your thoughts are, and some of your own stories on being a champion. Thanks for listening!

Brian Hazelgren

Tags: Champion, positive thinking, success, Teamwork