The Winning Mindset - Success from Failure

How the Winning Mindset Forms

If I am a success, it’s primarily because I have used my many failures to help others.

The title of my new book, The Success Trail, suggests I have been a success and know a little about it. Perhaps, but one’s identity is in the psyche of the beholder, and I often beg to differ with those suggestions. The title could have just as well and appropriately been, The Failure Trail. I often question whether I even got a fraction out of what I could have become in life. Don’t get me wrong, I know I’m blessed in many ways and am always grateful for what I have achieved. But, I also know how much I left on the table.

That belief came to light when figuring out the many steps to achieve I discovered in the Success Trail. In going over my past, I feel I would have reached my potential if I had seeked the available knowledge and been mentally stronger. The most evident of those failures on the ballfield had to do with not knowing how to do things in a fundamentally sound way. It was always a constant trial and error because of the stupidity of not realizing the right way — a story for another day.

Ultimately, no one probably ever gets their ultimate; the key is learning along the journey and improving from it. As long as one doesn’t let setbacks overwhelm their self-vision, failure can be a plus. I believe my ignorance has made me a good coach, mostly because I do not want others to fall into the traps I did. I do not only wish to help a player’s fundamentals; I want them to learn the correct methods, when they do it right and wrong, and how to adjust back to the right stuff. Of course, that is easier said than done, especially with young athletes. What I learned from my playing deficiency is that knowledge is king.  It helps avoid a lot of “If I only knew then” thoughts.   The best news about failure is it leads to knowledge to help others.

The winning mindset tips:

1. Search out the available knowledge before trying difficult things and apply them the best you can.

2. Try, do one’s best, learn from the failures, and try it all out again.

3. Apply new knowledge to other endeavors.

4. Pass your comprehension “of how” to others. 

Finally, the other best news is a portion of each sale of The Success Trail goes to charity.