Everyone loves to be a champion. But not everyone knows how to be one. In
every endeavor we all say we’ll be THE NUMBER 1. But when asked how, we say,
“I’ll use my lucky charm!”
Most achievers will answer, “Luck has very little to do with it.” Being Number 1
takes much more than luck. It takes inspiration, persistence, and faith. Luck is
a “nice-to-have.”
A professional adheres to four P’s. We will share with you these four P’s and if
you have what it takes, first congratulate yourself for being a champion.
1. PRE-PLAN
Set goals. Devise strategies. Set your course of action, with specific tasks
and corresponding deadlines. The only way you can reach what for you is the
Number 1 position is to have a clear picture of that top slot and whatever path
leads to it.
Your plans must be realistic, though — achievable. You can’t plan on being the
country’s representative to the swimming Olympics if you’re 40 pounds overweight
and the elimination is just a month away — unless you starve, but that wouldn’t
be a good idea. So, plan smart. Put your goals in writing to add commitment.
Some planning takes a little time. It’s all right. A good plan is the first step
up the ladder to Number 1.
2. PRACTICE
Now, with a good scheme in hand, your next step is to work on it. How
Practice, practice, practice. No one becomes a champion swimmer overnight. Not
even ten overnights! It takes months of serious training, dedicated practice.
And what did Tom Hopkins say “Practice doesn’t make perfect. Perfect practice
makes perfect.” In other words, there’s no sense practicing something that
doesn’t work or that doesn’t lead you to success. If your swing is self-taught,
and your batting average is so-so, you need professional help. Then, using the
professional, correct, and proven techniques, you practice, practice, practice,
until it becomes second nature.
3. PERFECT
This is something that goes beyond practice. This P is shooting for
perfection. Some call it fine-tuning. After you’ve practiced long and hard to
learn, understand, and rationalize the techniques and skills… after you’ve done
it a hundred, a thousand times… after you’ve acquired “muscle memory” and you
can actually do it with your eyes closed… it’s then time to cross the line to
perfection. Do not stop practicing until the motion becomes flawless. Until you
can do it flawlessly, every time.
Imagine the magicians who get away with card tricks using slight-of-hand. They
start learning a trick in slow motion, and practice until they can perform it
faster and smoother. And when they can do it flawlessly with their eyes closed,
every time, they move on to perfecting the move until they become confident
enough to…
4. PERFORM
This is the test. The moment that will tell you that you have succeeded.
Everything you planned, practiced, and perfected, will find fulfillment during
the performance. Show your mastery – your skill. Let other people marvel at your
specialty. Make them appreciate your effort and excellence in the task you have
chosen.
You step up to the plate, you come up the stage, or you face your client, and
with full confidence and mastery of skill, you give it all you’ve got. Just as
you’ve planned it, exactly as you’ve visualized it, you smoothly move from start
to finish, and you deliver it flawlessly. The mark of a winner and true
champion.
Many professionals push on to improve on their performance. Every performance
becomes an opportunity to practice, and become even better – and be the take-off
point for bigger tasks and loftier goals. A professional never ceases to enrich
and refine himself. A professional always sees himself as a winner and a
champion. And a winner is a winner and will continue to win because he’s a
champion who doesn’t quit.