The Principles of Success: ‘The Winning Edge’

Article Title: The Principles of Success: ‘The Winning Edge’
Author: Craig Lock
Category (key words): Success, Success Principles, Motivation, Inspiration, Sports Psychology, Sport, Mind, Mind Control, Positive Thinking and Positive Psychology (enough there now, craig!)
Web sites: www.creativekiwis.com/index.php/books/74-craigs-books http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/craiglock + www.lulu.com/craiglock
The submitter’s blog (with extracts from his various writings: articles, books and new manuscripts) is at http://craiglock.wordpress.com
Other Articles are available at: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/user/15565 and http://www.ideamarketers.com/library/profile.cfm?writerid=981
(Personal growth, self help, writing, internet marketing, spiritual, 'spiritual writings' (how 'airey-fairey'), words of inspiration and money management, how boring now, craig!)

Publishing Guidelines:
We hope that the following article (an extract from Craig’s manuscripts on sport psychology ‘The Winning Mind’ and ‘Endless Possibilities, Far and Grand Horizons‘) may be informative and helpful to your e-zine readers, or on your web site.
This piece may be freely reproduced electronically or in print. If it helps others “out there” on the pathway to success (and most importantly, happiness), then we’re very happy.

“We share what we know, so that we all may grow.”
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THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESS: “THE WINNING EDGE”
How to use the power of your mind to win in “the game of life”.
An extract from Craig’s manuscripts on sport psychology ‘The Winning Mind’ and ‘Endless Possibilities, Far and Grand Horizons‘)
Introduction

In his latest writings Craig writes about ordinary people in exceptional circumstances and times; he tries to show the extra-ordinary in ordinary lives: As revealed by the generous spirits and the exceptional strength and courage of so many ordinary people in their daily struggles along the sometimes very difficult and hard, yet often so satisfying journey that is called life. Craig is currently writing true stories of life in the Middle East. And as he writes, is posting (sharing) various thoughts and extracts on his blog at www.wordpress.com
Enough of that (what’s that “intro” got to do with the subject of your article, craig?). So back to the article on sport… my great passion.

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“The Hallmarks of a True Champion”:

When things get close, it is not a matter of luck, it’s a matter of having the mental edge.
You have to get into that area that elite sportsmen call ‘The Zone’.
Look not to where you don’t want to go, but to where you want to go.
Get physically and mentally stronger, technically better and fitter – this makes for correct mental and physical control. Because when you get stronger physically, you get stronger mentally.
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How to master your concentration? It is hard to train the mind, but it CAN be done with effort and persistence.
How much of the game is mental?

“To me it’s all a synergy. Everything has got to come together, the hard work, the clarity of mind.”
- dogged former Australian batsman, Justin Langer

“Doing this completely changed my thinking.”
- NZ pro golfer, Frank Nobilo.

“It always come down to pressure. People tend to fold under pressure. It comes down to attitude. His attitude has caused him to lose everything he had.”
- former heavy-weight champion boxer, Evander Holyfield on Mike Tyson

“Why did you become heavy-weight champion of the world?”
“Because your desire was to become the heavy-weight champion of the world. You need the same desire to become a better person. Until you get that desire, your life is going to go down. We’ve got to work as hard to be good people as we do in our endeavours.”
- fine words from Evander Holyfield

Darryl Tuffey, New Zealand fast bowler (cricket), says he bowls best when his mind is clear, focused.

Stay focussed, dedicated and motivated.”
- tennis star Novak Djkovic

The importance of experience and routine (in preparing for the event):

Experience, be it good or bad, can light the way forward… if learned from. “Draw on past success. Think back to the good days, how I was feeling and what I was doing.”
- Darryl Tuffey,

Routines provide tasks to focus the mind and, as long as these these tasks are developed through experience, provide a means of shutting external pressures out and getting the job done..
Routine is simply about mentally transporting yourself to a place where you know you can win.
Try not to put too much pressure on yourself. Just do what you do best. Being the best you can be is not about winning. You just can’t push it.

“Now, in the same situation, I can recognise when pressure is getting to me and go and get my hands on the ball, use a buzz word, or use my team mates to gain strength.”
- anon

“Most sports psychologists concentrate on motivating or getting people ‘in the zone’; but when you get to world championship level, everyone’s incredibly motivated and know how to get themselves in ‘the zone’. I basically view the brain as a computer. You can increase its performance in both the way it stores information and the brain is a tool, that can be trained like any other tool.”
- Dr Kerry Spackman, psychologist and highly regarded motor racing coach

“In Formula One and all motor racing, there are things you can do, which don’t seem directly related to driving a car. For example, increasing your memory capacity, or increasing your capacity to analyse; but they do make a significant difference.”
- Spackman (again)

The great* Brazilian racing driver, Ayrton Senna once said:
* perhaps the greatest ‘racer’ of them all.
“When I am competing against the watch and against other competitors, the feeling of expectation, of getting it done and doing the best I can, gives me a kind of power, that some moments when I am driving actually detaches me completely from anything else as I’m doing it…corner after corner, lap after lap. I can give you a true example.
Monte Carlo 1988, the last qualifying session… Suddenly I was nearly two seconds faster than anyone else, including my team mate with the same car. And suddenly I realised that I was no longer driving the car consciously. I was driving it by a kind of instinct, only I was in a different dimension. I was like I was in a tunnel.Not only the tunnel under the hotel, but the whole circuit was a tunnel. I was just going and going, more and more and more and more. I was way over the limit, but still able to find even more.”

‘This sort of thing happens to people at a very high level of mental and physical activity, where the intellect and the body combine and it becomes hard to say who is pulling the strings.’ #
# (Sourced from ‘The Death of Ayrton Senna’ by Richard Williams (Publisher Viking, Part of the Penguin Group, first published 1995)
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Summary:
Top achievers have that special quality called RESILIENCE: the ability to bounce back after “failure”… to pick themselves off the canvas one more time.
Also DEDICATION, FOCUS and SINGLE-MINDEDNESS: to overcome big obstacles on the way.
They also have to possess “heaps” of PATIENCE … taking a long term view of the champions path to eventual success.

A few final vital words to conclude…

“Look across all sport and observe the truly great. All had this zest for combat, this taste for being truly tested. All wished to explore the limits of their own possibilities.
Time after time we are forced to wonder why one great talent succeeds… and another still greater talent falls short? The reason is not merely “the will to win“. Rather it is the will to be tested at the very highest level. It is the ability to not only dwell on the far edge of sporting possibility, but to hold one’s balance…and to relish the proximity of the void.”
-The Times, London

Shared by Craig Lock (“Information and Inspiration Distributer”, Writer for Self Empowerment, Incorrigible Encourager and People-builder)

“Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them: A desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill.”
- Muhammad Ali

PS:
Most importantly,
have FUN enjoying the life journey

“Success to others may be apparent in what you DO; but significance, meaning and purpose lies, then reveals itself in what you ARE and BECOME down the ‘river of life’ – how
and the spirit with which you face, then overcome the daily obstacles, the frequent trials and tribulations along the often rocky path-way of life’s magical and mysterious journey. Light YOUR path brightly.”

“True success is being the YOU that you really want to be. Do not follow the well-beaten track of others towards success – like the rainbow, it is often an illusion always just beyond our reach. Make your own
path and let your spirit blaze a brilliant trail towards the pot of gold, the prize for the gift – one that is uniquely you and YOUR successful journey down the river of life.

“Champions aren’t made in the gym. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - an inner flame that burns brightly…with purpose, desire and passion. True champions live the dream, the vision of who and what they can one day become…. even a long time before it happens.”
- craig (as inspired by the words of Muhammad Ali)

“The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become.”
- Harold Taylor

“It is not as important to succeed, but to persist.”
- inspiring words that greatly encourage me from great South African writer and humanitarian, Alan Paton (author of ‘Cry the Beloved Country’)

“You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm.”
- Colette

STOP. Enough there now, craig. Your “signature” is already longer than your article!

OK, then I’ll just add a bit to the article

“One person with a dream can accomplish more than 100 others without one. If you have a burning desire, you can accomplish anything. The biographies of great men and women are full of stories of how they did seemingly impossible things because they had a dream.”
- author unknown

” Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail. “
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Oh man! There is no planet sun or star could hold you, if you but knew what you are.”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

” I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have.”
- Abraham Lincoln

”He who cherishes a beautiful vision, a lofty ideal in his heart, will one day realize it.
Dream lofty dreams and as you dream so shall you become.”
- James Allen

“No vision and you perish; No Ideal, and you’re lost; Your heart must ever cherish Some faith at any cost. Some hope, some dream to cling to, Some rainbow in the sky, Some melody to sing to, Some service that is high.”
- Harriet Du Autermont

“Together, one mind, one life at a time, let’s see how many people we can impact, encourage, empower, uplift and perhaps even inspire to reach their fullest potentials.”

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