Are you a Champion? I don’t necessarily mean standing up on a podium and having a gold medal put around your neck type champion. I’m simply talking about being a champion, being the best in your particular endeavor or profession. There are obvious qualities in becoming a champion, let’s take a look at them to see if we qualify.
C is for Courage and Commitment. We need to first have the courage to pursue what we believe in and have the commitment to consistently follow through towards our goal no matter what is happening around us.
H is for Honor. Even though anyone who is consistently working on becoming their absolute best will begin to create a gap between them and others. That doesn’t mean that we are better than anyone else. We need to consistently honor ourselves as well as others.
A is for Attitude as it is always the first ingredient in any successful venture. Remember that PMA = Positive Mental Attitude which translates to Pays More Always.
M is for Motivation. Now I don’t mean the motivation where you attend a speaking engagement to get all revved up! I’m talking about internal motivation where you find the inner fire to show up and take the action necessary to get what you want. Understand that many people think that motivation comes before action, however, it’s just the opposite. The action comes before motivation because as you take the action towards your goals and begin to see results it simply gives you more motivation to press on and take even more action.
P is for Persistence. Calvin Coolidge said it best in his quote “Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan Press On! Has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.”
I is for Integrity meaning simply doing what is right.
O is for Ownership. We must take 100% ownership for everything that we experience, have or don’t have in our life. We have to take complete control and ownership of what we think, say and do. This is the only way that we can control what we actually experience in life. In addition, without taking ownership we will never be able to grow to our champion potential.
N stands for Never, ever give up! Jimmy Valvano said it best in his 1993 ESPY speech as he was dying of cancer. “Cancer can take away my physical abilities. It cannot touch my mind, it cannot touch my heart, it cannot touch my soul. And those three things are going to carry on forever. So, don’t give up, don’t ever give up.”
Take inventory of yourself of how you rate as a Champion to continue on your quest in reaching for your ultimate greatness.