What Makes a Champion?

Imagine for a moment that you are a champion. You are the best in your town . No, you are the best in your country. How does that make you feel? Good yeah? You are a champion. What are you the champion of? What is your major strength? Are you a good leader? A good strategist. A great tactician. A team builder perhaps. A great listener. Perhaps you have the ability to develop and grow the skills of others. Whatever it is, you have the talent to become a champion. All you need to do is to understand what it is that makes a champion. In this article we are going to introduce you to a new awareness. We are going to open up your mind to the invisible world of what makes a champion.

Personally, we think there are four major criteria that make a champion. You probably know what they are: Talent, courage, tenacity and mind set. You have each of them but do you use them?

Guess what! You have the talent to become a champion. But first it is a case of identifying what your talent is. It is easy if you have a talent for running, swimming, cycling, football or any sporting talent but we are talking of a talent that is not readily identifiable but can make you into a champion..

Stop for a moment. We want you to take a little time and think about your own talents and qualities. Just let your mind roll back and list all your achievements. All the things never mind how big or small that YOU consider to be an achievement in your life.

Now review your list. Can you see a pattern?

Listen to yourself?? What do you feel is important to you. Be honest.

What are you good at?

What do you like doing?

Are YOU competitive?

Does your pattern and your inside voice show you, you get your kicks from helping others; being useful to society or does money motivate you?

Now you are sure you have talent. Perhaps there is a natural energy about you. A way in which others naturally listen to what you have to say. Perhaps it is an ability to make others follow you. Perhaps you are naturally persistent. You find others naturally do what you suggested. Perhaps you have natural courage. Perhaps it is a talent that is easily recognisable like painting, drawing, playing football or whatever.

Whatever it is you are now able to identify your key core skills, your talents. The skills that you use when you are functioning at your full potential.

But there is a long road between identifying your talents and being a champion. If you want to be a champion you need to harness other talents. Those that have been on idle or haven't been used at all because you are totally preoccupied with a certain way of living. Those that have, for whatever reason, been pushed into the background and forgotten. In our experience, people often sabotage their own efforts. They are aware they have special skills, abilities and qualities but they keep them turned off most of the time. They go through life only make effort when they want to make effort. Then and only then do they fully utilise their hidden talents. At that time, and that time only, are they at their most alert.

Think for a moment and list your hidden, natural talents that you know exist but are not being fully used.

The point is now you have written down and accepted both your hidden and surface skills, abilities and qualities do you have the courage to use them to reach your full potential.Do you have the courage to succeed?

Do you have the courage to accept that there is a different life out there for you? A life where you are a champion. A person who lives or wants to live to their full potential.

Do you have the courage to go against the 'natural' flow dictated by others? To overcome the dream stealers with their pronouncements of gloom. For example: "you can't make money out of that". "You are not good enough". "Do you know how many people have tried to make a living doing that?" Etc etc etc. All destined to stop you from fulfilling your potential.

If you want to reach your potential. If you want to succeed. You have to have courage. The courage to focus on your skills, abilities, qualities, talents and stay with them and work out how you can best live a full life rather than one you feel you ought to live in order to keep others happy and make a living.

Now you have identified all your attributes and have the courage to move forward do you have the tenacity to be a champion?. Do you have the determination to keep going when all appears to be against y