When you consider the word win, what comes to mind? Actually, to win, and winning can represent several different aspects. Here are what I feel represent those most targeted and important:

A.) Conquest over – or convincingly outdoing – an opponent

B.) To completely finish what you start

C.) To achieve or produce a decisive success result

D.) To wind up with more than you started out with

E.) Some type, form, or context of victory – or irrefutable triumph

F.) To notably accomplish what you set out to (i.e., to get what you were after)

G.) To wind up better off than you were when you started

H.) To stay the course, and reach your ultimate destination

I.) You demonstrated excellence, peak ability, and masterful effort which, in some way, served to advance you

Each of these, in its own particular way, defines a parameter connected to winning. And the purpose of this article is to help you form the intent to experience one of these factors characterizing your outcomes — in every aspect of your life where sustaining a process, pursuing success, and/or the need to persevere may exist.

Why? Well, first – because you can. And because winning, and to win, can become a habit (a life empowering habit) just the same as you may have allowed in-completion, lesser achievement, and sustaining a predictable status quo to become a habit.

When you eagerly strive to experience one of A-I as your result – or the outcome of efforts you express to improve and advance – that’s when your actions keep moving you ahead in your life.
Experiencing what you want in life. Having what you want in life. Keeping thrill, joy, fulfillment and thorough satisfaction a regular part of your life. These four things naturally occur through having one of A-I define the outcomes you produce.

And how can you set the odds up so that, more times than not, one of A-I does come to define your outcomes? You develop the compelling habit of striving to win. Actually, you develop the unwavering commitment to win; the habit you develop is the commitment-the natural, driving affinity and purpose to:

• Work, and keep working as necessary

• Take full responsibility for all things involving you coming to reach, and/or experience your desired outcome

• Do as much as you possibly can – for as long as you must – in the pursuit of your outcome. (Instead of waiting for, and depending on others to do things involved in you coming to register positive, desired results)

• Be in it for the long haul; you stay as actively involved as you must until you’ve completed the task, or produce/experience a decided success result

• Release lesser desires and involvements (including activities and “dead end” relationships), so that the overwhelming majority of your energy is directed toward one of A-I coming to clearly define your results

• Get things all-the-way done. Here, nothing is done until it’s victory/triumph done. And you willfully, purposefully invest the required time, energy, money and tenacious drive to follow through as you must…until you can justifiably, unequivocally affix the label of “Success Outcome” to the result of your efforts

• Resolve to only accept one of A-I as the definer of your pursuit, process, and/or persistence related efforts – and nothing less. Everything you do is continued until at least one aspect of A-I can conclusively define your result

Until that point — you’re not done. You don’t accept results. You’re not satisfied. You don’t deflect your focus. You’re not comfortable – you don’t take time off, “respites”, or “vacations”. You don’t “put it away and get back to it at some later point”. No. You stay with it, in it, at it…until one of A-I singularly characterizes your results; then you’re done!

Am I asking a lot of you here? Absolutely. Why? Do you want to be like everyone else? Or continue to be the way you’ve always been? Or in the same place six months, or a year from now, that you’re in right now? No? I didn’t think so.

Striving for polished excellence and some context of winning with your actions ensures you won’t; striving on until one of A-I defines your results essentially guarantees you the highest degree of self esteem and personal progress possible.
Why would you do things from now on in ways where you settled for “less” than an A-I result or outcome? Yes, why?!

Because it’s easier? More convenient? What you’re “used to”? Because registering an A-I type result is “beyond” you and your abilities? Come on now; it’s only either habit, as you never thought about outcomes like this before, or you don’t know how to commit to win.
Taking the “easy” way out, or not continuing toward success results because you feel they’re beyond your aptitude gets you nothing but the assurance that you’ll essentially remain right where you’re at — no better, no worse.

But if you were truly satisfied with where you’re at, you wouldn’t be reading the Committed To WIN © article right now – would you!

Is ease, convenience, and/or the allowance of status quo what you “really” want? Or do you want advancement, substance, increase, progress, growth and improvement? I’m thinking you want the latter.

Think of the latter as what awaits you at the top of the success impact staircase. And the quality, strength and results of your every personal action and involvement will determine if you’ll take a step up higher upon this staircase, or not.

The commitment to win, and applying this commitment by only allowing one of A-I to be the acceptable definer of your personal results, ensures you keep stepping up. You make your actions serve you. You continually build yourself up. You naturally, purposefully strive to produce more and greater substance from your efforts. You purposefully sustain your self ascension mode, instead of tolerating “maintenance” mode. You rise up, rise above, make things work out for you – and as such, by your commitment to win, literally mold life (your life) into the shape and dimensions you choose.

Power? You bet; this commitment to win is an extraordinary inner power precursor, catalyst, and generator. Do you want this kind of power? Then ask yourself: “Am I ready to now become committed to win?”

It will cost you noticeably greater effort, follow through and conviction – at degrees you’re not customarily used to generating or expressing. But truly, without these, there is no progress. There is no improvement. There is no growth and ascension. There is no glory. There is only the same thing in the same way. (Is that what you want?!)

It’s time to get off your mental and emotional “same old outcomes” ass, and get into the zone now – the commitment to win zone. Making one of A-I the definer of your personal outcomes applies to every pursuit and process effort you expend – from social, relationship, financial, sports, business, academics, to personal development involvements…everything!

You’re not making a commitment to register results that are just “Ok”, or “good”, or “good enough”, but someone who embodies and demonstrates the singular ideal “I Win!” Only this from now on, is acceptable.

Feels empowering just to read my words and think about this, doesn’t it. Let yourself imagine how it will feel when you’re vibrantly living out the commitment to win (let me tell you something – that’s gonna be a constant power generator for you!)

How do you commit to win? How do you make, embrace and live out this commitment
– to a degree where it becomes your natural affinity? Let me outline an incredible development strategy for you right now.

Making The Commitment To WIN:

Deeply Rooting The Ideals Of Success Action Follow Through And Results

“Is making, then always striving to honor the commitment to win being selfish, insensitive, and/or self centered?” many ask. The answer is, yes. But, in the most positive way imaginable. I call it appropriate selfishness.

Its rudiments are as follows: “If you don’t do for you what you should, can and must – to bring about the life goodness you seek – who then will!”

You’re not doing it to spite, slight, or disregard someone else. You’re honoring the commitment to win (as outlined), to advance and prosper your self.

If you don’t do for you what is required to move ahead, and experience life as you’d like to…rest assured, no one else will do it for you!

Excellence, success – winning – is your choice, and your responsibility. Placing your focus upon registering one of A-I as the definer of your outcomes from now on is, I feel, perhaps one of the most self respecting, self valuing things you can do.

It doesn’t mean to be uncaring or disinterested in your fellow man. It means you sustain interest in your self and your welfare, and the quality of your results  and a continual, purposeful drive toward your success. And you do this to a degree higher, more profound, and more expansive than you ever have before.

The more you do for yourself – the more you produce for yourself – the more you have for yourself – the more you feel good, really good, about yourself. Yeah — that’s when you’re in a position to be of true benefit and help to others. [*But first, though, you must make sure you're in a position to be of decided benefit and help to...you. When you really "got it goin' on", and are progressive and commanding in your action conviction (and results), that's when you can do the most for, and be the most for others. First, you must be it for your self; this ideal represents the very foundation of the commitment to win.]

So, as a target overview, being committed to win is a life and action commitment; you become conscious of purpose, conscious of intent, conscious of outcome…always. And you keep your efforts geared, as are required or called for, until one of A-I comes to clearly define the results from your endeavors.

You remain wholly focused on substantive outcome production, without compromise. And you now regularly strive to do what you must – all of what you must – to register winning realm results, period!

There is no lesser now. There is only this.

Can you do this? Yes. Will you? I believe so through applying the following “Commitment To Win Action Tendency” development strategy.

Developing The Commitment To WIN Action And Results Tendency

The New Philosophy And Attitude:

• From now on your actions are for the express purpose of producing one of A-I as your end result. You act singularly with this idea in mind. You engage actions that can definitively lead to one of A-I becoming a fact (your fact). You now cease from mindless, purposeless actions. You choose instead to engage personal gain, personal advancement, personal increase type actions fueled exclusively by the “commitment to win” attitude.

You clearly have this overview in mind…and you clearly act to honor it; honoring this becomes your very action purpose!

• Effort is now for the purpose of moving yourself toward, and then coming to ultimately experience, one of A-I as your results of action. You keep this continually in mind, and act driven now by its precise, and compelling influence.

You make “having fun” steeped in ultimately experiencing one of A-I as your outcome definer; you direct your energy and will into action expressions intentionally geared toward producing one of A-I as your action result. This is now your commanding motive for all personal effort.

• You now become a sequence, process, progression person. You pre-set your outcomes – for each individual thing you do – and for your overall intended result.

You engage everything you do having what you want to accomplish and/or produce clearly set in your mind. And you then strive to materialize these results; nothing less.

Before you act, you have a specific, detailed end result in mind; you determine, and know where you’re going, and you keep working and acting purposefully until you get there.
This is now your purpose. This is now your focus. Indeed, this is now your unwavering commitment to self, and to your very life.

Pre-Action Personal Triumph Programming

Before you engage or take action now:

1.) Determine your outcome: What do you want to produce; what, specifically, are you striving to demonstrate or accomplish? What are your actions for; what is the overall result you’ll express them toward? (Which of A-I is your intent?)

• Where should – and must – your actions be leading you?

• What is the decisive objective governing why you’re doing what you’re doing?

2.) Once you’ve determined your A-I connected outcome, before you act, say to yourself (and fully mean it) “I know exactly what I’m doing here. I know why I’m doing it; I know, and am dedicated to, the specific result I’ll now strive to produce. With every fiber of my being, down to the very depth of my soul, I now commit to produce a personal victory result – I use my efforts – and the full extent of my power – to now advance myself, and to soundly produce some clear and decisive embodiment of success… And through my determined ability – I now feverishly strive to make decided progress my consummate fact!

“Yes, I now strive to bring forth results clearly demonstrating my total commitment to excellence, my total commitment to purpose – and my tenacious, adamant, uncompromising commitment…to Win!”

3.) Now, filled with this self reinforcing purpose and conviction, start taking targeted action – and keep up your efforts until you’re all-the-way-done with what you’re doing (and can clearly say one of A-I defines your personal outcome). Then, and only then, are your actions in line with the commitment to win.

I encourage you to now apply 1-3 each time before engaging any potentially life building, life enhancing, life advancing action or activity. It will keep you emotionally connected with the commitment to win, and as such, bring out your best efforts and clearly most substantive, commanding results.

Do you want to be like everybody else? Then do what they do, the way they do it. If you want to build, prosper, and gloriously triumph…start now honoring the single-minded Commitment To WIN!

Now the statement that there is great power in positive thought is not only true, it is vital. Thought can change the way a person thinks, their self esteem as well as what others think about them. That is not to say that everyone has to have positive thought 100% of the time because that is not life. Sometimes thinking positive is a conscious effort, meaning that it does not happen automatically. Life is full of trials, but they can be overcome much sooner if a person keeps a positive attitude. Ever heard of someone diagnosed with a terminal illness, with only months to live, yet they defy all odds with their power of a positive attitude and outlook?

Replacing Negative With Positive

Negative thoughts creep up during tough times and it is very easy to fall prey to them. After all, the situation is bad, so combat it with negative energy right? Wrong, negative feelings, thoughts and so on can actually hinder your ability to effectively resolve the problems or issues. Looking at the negative as a learning experience as well as a temporary situation helps. Having a positive outlook improves the attitude and a good attitude helps all your mental processes. Replace all negative words, thoughts and feelings with positive ones. This means you have to make an effort to stop yourself when you start thinking or speaking negatively, eventually it will become such a habit that it is second nature.

Accept And Embrace Change

Accepting shortcomings as well as change can sometimes hinder positive thinking. People are naturally resistant to change, yet it is a huge part of life. Instead of fighting these changes or small speed bumps, how about embracing them instead? Maybe even look at them as new challenges, comparing life to a game. Something to conquer, a way to add spice to life, after all there is positive in everything, sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it. Instead of finding the negative with a situation, how about turning and finding at least one positive thing.

Rewire Faulty Responses

Did you know that the brain can be rewired? Not physically, but intellectually. Some believe in hypnosis, others believe in the power of prayer, but individuals can change the way that they react to others, intercept news, events and life in general. Think before you speak, or make any decisions, stop and think about how you feel. You might have to spend a few minutes looking for the positive in the situation or maybe even something positive to say, but it will be well worth your time to develop your new power of positive thought!

Courage is one of those virtues necessary to living a good life. But what is courage? Usually, the first thing that comes to mind is bravery in the face of a threat, yet it is so much more. Let me suggest that it is the ability to choose the point that lies between cowardice and recklessness in any circumstance.

Courage takes many forms. Examples include the courage to do what is right, the courage of facing a personal fear, the courage to accept unpopularity, the courage to endure physical or mental pain for the sake of self-improvement, the courage to push forward through frustration, the courage to tell the truth, the courage to change, the courage to act, the courage to trust, the courage to love, the courage to commit, and many more.

In Aristotle for Everybody, Mortimer Adler interprets Aristotle’s definition of courage as “an habitual disposition to take whatever pains may be involved in doing what we ought to do for the sake of a good life.” Quite simply, it means doing what we know we need to do however challenging or difficult. For example, most of us inherently know we need to exercise to live a healthy life, yet many of us choose not to exercise at least regularly for some reason we have come to rationalize as valid. This is a lack of courage in Aristotle’s view.

How do you make a habit of courage? This is not an easy undertaking, as you will have to overcome years of habits associated with making uncourageous decisions. First, let me suggest that you have to believe that practicing courage is a worthy pursuit. Developing courage will allow you to be more in control of your life as opposed to letting outside circumstances dictate your actions.

Second, start on a small scale. It will be self-evident when you are faced with a decision that requires courage. Before making a decision recognize the scope of courage that will be required. If you are contemplating taking some type of risk, courage may require that you research the issue before acting recklessly. For example, using health again as it is a universal challenge. Study the benefits and techniques of living a healthy lifestyle and then slowly implement what you have learned. There will be days when you do not feel like exercising or eating a healthy meal and this is where you begin to develop courage. As Nike says, “Just do it!” Another example would be making a financial investment. This will require courage and demands investigation to determine the proper amount of courage to make the best choice.

Another place to start is by developing the habit of being truthful. Telling the truth often requires courage because it may get you or someone you care about into trouble. Yet we inherently know it is the right thing to do. There is a selfish benefit to this strategy and that is people will respect you for this virtue. They may not always like it but they will respect it. They will come to know that you are always telling them the truth and they will appreciate you for that quality.

As you continue to develop courage you will eventually face the most difficult of situations when you will have to make unpopular decisions for the greater good or a higher cause. In order to prepare for such decisions I urge you to read Profiles in Courage by John F. Kennedy. The issues contained within this book may have been of a past era but the principles remain timeless.

In his forward to the Memorial issue of Profiles in Courage, Robert Kennedy reminds us that President Kennedy was fond of Dante “The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who, in a time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality.”

It is impossible to live a virtuous life without courage. Courage is not obtained from a single action but nurtured through a habit of courageous decisions over a lifetime. Practicing courage is a worthy pursuit and necessary to living a meaningful and fulfilling life and contributing to your community.