How to Win at Everything

Winning At Life

Define what it means to win in life. What do you consider a successful life? When you see yourself 3-4 years down the line, what are you doing? What is it that you feel keeps you from being the best version of yourself? What are some wonderful aspects of yourself that you should cultivate a little more and practice a little more? If these questions are difficult, ask smaller ones to start: are you living in a city or the country? Do you want to work from home or do you want to help save the world through charity? Maybe you just want the time to pursue your hobbies at leisure. Whatever it is, winners figure out where the finish line is so that they can plan how to get there. Goals worth having aren't always easy. Don't let the difficulty or length of a task in front of you discourage you from going for it. Anything that is meant to change will happen effortlessly. That's not to say that you shouldn't do your part or don't have to do the work required to bring about change. But if you find yourself forcing it with a lot of effort, it possibly means you're going about it the wrong way and that is going to bring a lot of frustration and discouragement.

Do the preparation work necessary for success. Winners know that success requires work before the actual event or challenge occurs. "Prior preparation prevents poor performance," so sit down for a few hours and sketch out the following questions, as well as your answers: "What are the most likely things to go wrong?" "How can I prevent problems or issues in advance?" "What tools/materials do I need for success?" "What steps can I take now to ensure success later?"

Always keep learning, especially in the fields you enjoy. Winners never "know everything." It's actually the opposite, as winners recognize that knowledge is power and you can never gain enough. Read a daily journal article in your field, pick up a new skill, and go to talks and lectures that catch your interest. While you should focus on your field, know that inspiration comes from everywhere. An open mind will take you far no matter what you're doing. Try to be a sponge, absorbing as much information as you can whenever you can. The more you challenge yourself, the more you'll learn. Taking the difficult or longer route usually pays off in more experience and know-how.

Work on your goals every single day instead of in big chunks. This is a lot like the difference between studying a little bit every day and cramming the night before the test. While both may do enough to help you pass, the lessons learned from cramming are quickly forgotten. You gain much more ground if you work on something every single day, building momentum and forging powerful mental pathways that make you more efficient and successful in the future. That said, don't beat yourself up if you miss a day -- it's not the end of the world. The point is regular, scheduled practice to work on your goals. Just get back on the horse the next day.

Stop and analyze your goals, making adjustments as needed, regularly. Winners don't just pick a course and blindly follow it. They are constantly taking stock of their surroundings, and are willing to pivot if there is a better option or idea around them. While every situation is different, productive analysis is easy-- take 5-10 minutes to step quietly aside, then ask the following questions: "What is the current problem(s)?" "How effective was my last solution?" "What has changed since I last made my plans?" "What is the best possible outcome that I can strive for at this moment?"

Study the habits of the very best in your field. For example, if you want to rule the world of finance, you should probably pay attention to Warren Buffet, Elon Musk, and other titans in the world of wealth. If you're becoming a musician, learn how your heroes practiced and got better, replicating the parts that sound right to you. Instead of mimicking other winners' live, try to drill down into the practices that make them so successful: Without a doubt, hours of practice is the common thread between all winners. From the Beatles playing all-night shows in Germany to Bill Gates locked in a room with early computers, the best put in thousands and thousands of hours of work before succeeding. Good practice is challenging, not easy. Lance Armstrong famously brought his bike to the Alps during wintertime as preparation for climbing the same mountains in the summer's Tour de France.

Look at failures as challenges, not roadblocks. Winners don't see failure as the end of the road, they see it as a necessary hurdle to jump over. There has never been a successful person who hasn't had to overcome failure, because the road to greatness always has challenges. By approaching setbacks as tests designed to make your better and stronger once conquered, you'll set yourself on the path to win at everything you do. Challenges force you to learn and adapt on the fly. Remaining open and flexible will help you handle any difficulty that comes your way.

Prioritize wisely. Everyone knows the person, for example, that wants to write a great novel but "can never find the time." The problem is not that they can't find the time, it is that they aren't making the time for themselves. No one can set your schedule but you, so make a habit of prioritizing the things most important to you so you are 100% sure you'll get them done. If you don't make time for your priorities, no one else will. Set aside the same time each day to work on your goals and projects. Once you actually carve out a dedicated time to work it becomes much easier to stick to. Being a winner does require some sacrifice. Setting your priorities so that you work on your passions may mean smaller hobbies get less time and attention.

Have a winner's mentality. You have to be psychologically and mentally prepared to succeed, so be positive and believe in yourself. If you think that you can be a winner, you will be further than most people ever get. Conversely, if you believe that you will fail or have no chance, you'll lose the motivation needed to actually win at anything. Remind yourself that you not only are going to win, but you deserve to win. Being hungry and hopeful will provide motivation even if things get rough. Gigi Hadid Gigi Hadid, Model & Fashion Influencer Find your superpower and hone it. "My mentality has always been, If I'm not the best at something, then I might as well be the best at something else. I realized that I wasn't going to be an Olympic volleyball player, but I knew I could model at that level."

Winning Games

Play methodically and strategically, staying relaxed under stress. Even if the game requires relative quickness, like speed chess or sports, the player that keeps their cool is usually the one that walks away victorious. Make a habit of controlled, regular breathing while you play, taking your time to make the absolute best choice every time you're up. If you're relaxed and calm you'll have a much easier time sorting through the options and choosing the best one.

Analyze the needs and weaknesses of your opponent. Instead of trying to think, "what is my opponent thinking?", break the question down into simpler and more effective questions. First, what does my opponent need to win? And secondly, if I was my opponent, what would I be worried about -- what is my weakness? The answer to these two questions almost always points to a worthwhile strategy: In a game of tennis, imagine you're playing someone with an amazing serve, but poor net play. They will want to hit it hard, keeping you back on the baseline to avoid the net, but you should flip this on it's head and force them to the front-court with short shots and slices. In a board, card, or strategy game, ask yourself each turn what your opponent still needs to do to win. How can you prevent them from getting this?

Research the top strategies for your game. If you're a chess player, there are hundreds of books detailing moves, how to read opponents, and successful long-term strategies. If you're playing cards, mathematicians and game theorists have broken down the proven ways to win for almost any game created, often detailed for free online. Don't try to learn everything through experience -- read up on the success of past players and use it to your advantage. More than just giving you strategies, reading up on a game's news and tips helps you recognize your opponent's strategy as they try it, helping you cut it off quickly. Even athletes should constantly read up on new advancements. Look no further, for example, than US triple jumper Christian Taylor. After reading up on research and science, he broke conventional wisdom by taking shorter, faster jumps instead of long, slow ones. He then won the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics.

Keep an eye out for patterns. These can be patterns in the game or your opponent's patterns. People struggle to be random, and will generally repeat the same methods over and over again, especially if they feel like they are working. Keeping your mind sharp on the overall trends and patterns in the game can help you control them to victory. If an opposing team is having the most success attacking down the left side, don't just keep playing. Find a way to plug the hole on your team's left. In Rock, Paper, Scissors, most men throw rock first, while most women throw paper. That means you should always start with paper -- you're most likely to win or tie. As you keep playing, look out for similar series of moves from your opponent to read them like book.

Use randomness to your advantage. While you're analyzing your opponent for patterns, you can assume they are doing the same thing. Whenever you can throw a little randomness in the mix, or simply mix up your own patterns, you can catch them off-guard and gain an advantage. Not all games allow randomness, but switching up tactics to confuse your opponent will usually help you get ahead. In sports, like soccer, for example, take shots from all around the box, not just once you get close to the goal. Make them defend both outside the box and inside of it to keep them moving. Use the natural world to help stay random. For example, imagine you're serving in tennis. Instead of serving the same place, or alternating each time, look at your watch. If the second hand says 0-30, serve to the right. If it says 31-60, serve left

Know the rules inside and out. You can't win if you get tangled up in fouls or broken rules. What's more, knowing the rules inside and out is the best way to catch others cheating and know exactly what tools and strategies you have at your disposal. Whether you're playing a game or entering a contest, knowing the rules back to front gives you an instant advantage over the competition.

Practice the smaller skills individually to improve at the greater game. Take, for example, the game of poker. While you can practice by simply playing lots of poker, good players know they need to focus on each part of the game to truly succeed. They might study what hands to fold or play one day, when to bluff another, and how to calculate card odds on the fly the next day. By mastering individual skills, you greatly improve your total game. Many games, like chess, have "practice problems" online, which are particular game-like scenarios that you must quickly figure out. For sports, this is why drills are so essential. Don't just think about repeating the motion over and over again, think about how you'll use this particular skill to succeed in a game. For complex tasks like video games playing against a computer, or even against yourself, is a great way to build skills on your own time. Remember that no goal will be reached overnight. Getting better is hard and we all want it to happen as quickly as possible, but make sure you don't get discouraged because your progress is not coming as fast as you would like.

Communicate effectively and constantly with any teammates. The teams that talk the most are the teams that work the most effectively. You should be in constant communication about your opponent's moves, where you are, if you need help or support, or any changes in strategy. Don't ever assume that you're better off on your own, or keeping quiet in hopes of being "secretive." The best teams keep in touch. If you learn or find something useful for your teammates, let them know. Provide on-the-fly updates as you play -- "I got this one," "I need some help," "watch your back," etc.

Play some mind games. There is a famous shot from the Tour de France where Lance Armstrong, in the lead after climbing a brutally large mountain, sees a challenger gaining ground on him. Even though he is exhausted, Armstrong quickly changes his face into a happy, relaxed smile and looks back at the opponent, whos face is completely tired. The rider, fearing Lance is not tired at all, is demoralized, and Armstrong easily wins. You can play the same tricks in any game to gain a psychological advantage. Keep cool and collected while your opponents crumble. No matter what game you're playing, keep your poker face up. The only emotions you show are the ones you want your opponent to see. If you bluff in a game, for whatever reason, don't tell your opponents even if you pull it off successfully. This is why, unless forced, you never show your hand in a game of cards. They can't figure out when you're bluffing and when you're serious.