HOW TO WIN EVERYDAY

There are days when we seem to have it all together, when we are on time, happy, and at peace with the world. Everything seems to be going so well that we can stop to smell the coffee and the roses, or whatever makes for a perfect day.

But that is not all of us, at least not every day. Perhaps you cannot remember the last time you felt in charge of your day, or in charge of your time or thriving or succeeding at anything.

Let me tell you something you may have heard before or seen on a bumper sticker: You are born a winner. No human being born on this earth is a loser.

You may have lost many things, people, or opportunities, but as long as you are still here, breathing and alive, you are a winner.

A tree with its branches cut off still has a chance as long as its roots are still in the ground, and every human who walks the earth still has a chance at living the life of their most important dreams.

As a sperm swimming to the egg in your mother’s womb, you were the first to win the race; you outran and outwitted millions of sperm to be the chosen one to be born. That is your first win.

You were not miscarried or aborted; you made it into this world, that is your second win.

You are alive, seeking growth and full of dreams, willing to live; that is your third win.

Call it grace or call it providence that brought you this far, but there is a winner inside you.

Winning every day is possible; it is already happening for you. Refuse to fall for the lie that only terrible things are happening, because every day there is a miracle, a blessing, a special moment that comes your way that is clouded or distracted by worry, resentment, entitlement or ingratitude.

The first step to recognising your wins is to count your blessings. Waking up is the first win; getting out of bed is the second win. You can plan and execute your plans, even if they haven’t succeeded yet, or if you’ve faced multiple setbacks or things have turned out differently. That’s still a win because you were brave enough to try.

Celebrate the small wins every day, the changes in your behaviour, the growth in your mind. Perhaps you used to get angry easily, and now you exercise more control over your emotions; or you were extremely worried about every little thing, but you now worry less.

Perhaps you’ve started communicating with friends and family, applied for a course, scholarship, or job, or finally found the courage to start your business for the 13th time. That is a huge win; resilience and courage are always worth celebrating.

Don’t let the voice in your head, the voice of negativity, comparison or criticism, tell you, ‘There’s nothing to celebrate’, or ‘you still have a lot more to accomplish’; or point out all the things you did wrong. Having something to review means you’ve taken action, even if it’s not perfect or complete. Something is always better than nothing.

Learn to give yourself a pat on the back at the end of each day and say ‘well done’. You refused to quit, you didn’t hide – even if you did, you are still alive, still breathing, and have a chance to try again.

Perhaps you’re exhausted; rest if you must, take time to pause and re-strategise, but do not give up. Be willing to start over if you have to, be ready to do better.

Being here is a win. Find reasons to celebrate throughout the day. It could be something as simple as doing the laundry, finally doing all the dishes, or reading a book or listening to a self-growth podcast.

Plan your small wins for the day and celebrate them on the spot as soon as you achieve them. Send that email, make that dreaded phone call, have that difficult conversation with your boss or your loved one, make— and eat that healthy meal, open that account, start that project.

And when you complete a task, give yourself a high five, pause to take in and remember that moment, celebrate it, and let it inspire you for the successive win.

End every day with gratitude for your small wins and make a plan for new wins tomorrow. Even if all you could do was wake up, take a bath, and open a window, that is a win. Miracles still happen, and a better day with many more wins lies ahead of you.

Please share with me your little wins, all the blessings you are grateful for and how you are replacing the voice that says ‘you are not doing enough’ with a voice that says ‘well done’.

Keep winning!