What it REALLY Takes to WIN

Are you someone that accepts failure too much?

I like to say: Show me a good loser, and I’ll show you a good loser.

But I think in my podcast with him, Derek Jeter gave us one of the greatest quotes about winning of all time:

You wanna race down the street, I want to beat you. If we’re playing checkers, I want to win. I could be playing my grandmother, and I want to win. I have a competition problem.

We've covered commitment as a necessary part of succeeding.

But, much as most of us would hate to admit it, a key part of rising to the top is also being competitive as h*ll.

I'm talking about a straight-up, possibly obnoxious unwillingness to accept defeat or failure.

We know that skill and athleticism separate pro athletes from amateurs, but trust me - sheer competitiveness separates them from us almost if not as much as skill.

Competitiveness is a differentiator.

I've played pick-up basketball with countless former and current pro athletes in my weekly game. You'd be shocked at how ruthless these guys become if their team starts losing in a meaningless pick-up game! They'll do anything not to lose. They'll start calling phantom fouls. They'll start bullying weaker, older players such as myself. They'll even start claiming that the actual score is different!

I'm not immune to such behavior, myself. When my kids were growing up, I never let them win at anything.

There's even a rumor in my family that when I used to play my son in Battleship, if he got up from the table for something, I'd swing around and look directly at his board.

IF that rumor were true - and I'm not saying it is - would I be proud of that? No. But would I be ashamed of it? No.

Did it teach my son a thing or two about an unforgiving world where you have to do everything you can if you want to be the best?

I'd like to think so.