Episode #183 Play To Win

Three Problems

• A taste of success often leads us to protect our gains rather than keep pushing forward.
• When we spend the entire game playing it safe, we might as well play to lose.
• Too many leaders climb the ladder of success only to realize that the ladder was leaned against the wrong wall.

Eight Principles

• Difficult choices made today often have more positive results than those same choices delayed until tomorrow.
• The first ingredient to build our confidence is the courage to take risks.
• Winning in life has far more to do with the depth of our relationships than the size of our bank accounts.
• The most important risks we can take in life are connected to our core values.
• Our personal definition of winning doesn’t need to (and probably shouldn’t) mirror the culture around us.
• The goal is not necessarily to win but rather to play at our highest level.
• We cannot always control the end result, but we can always control our effort.
• We will learn so much more from our failures than from playing it safe.

Three Practices

• Spend an hour this week reflecting on the question, “What does it mean for me to win at life?”
• Consider adding a 0 to your most important goals – not writing 1 but 10 books, not visiting 2 but 20 countries, not growing your company by 3% but 30%.
• Whenever you experience a success in life, make the choice to amplify your efforts rather than taking it easy.