Success Begins with the Near Wins
Winning Does Not Happen by Accident
Are near wins more important than actual wins? Near wins, just like successes, deserve their moments in the spotlight. How often do you actually spend time mastering your craft? Success is not a fixed destination that happens at certain times in your life. It can happen at any time. Success is not a singular achievement but rather a continuous evolution.
“Success consist of a series of daily small wins.” ~ Unknown Author
In a world that often glorifies grand achievements and monumental success, if you don’t win or finish first, use your near win is an opportunity to push yourself forward. The notion of the “near win” rather than the “near miss” is instrumental to achieving success. Keeping your eyes always on the goal, large or small, is motivation enough for many. The question for you might be are you someone for whom the small wins are motivating, or do you have to work harder to get to that prize?
Near Win
Success is a series of small victories that work to accomplish a bigger task. Mastery is a term that may imply perfection, but in psychology it refers to an inner sense of competence. Giving runner ups a taste of success motivates people to work continuously harder for the next win.
Understand that a sense of mastery is related to a belief in your own powers to control your life. Many opportunities for attaining mastery exist within a typical workflow.
Journey to Success
“Success is a state of mind. If you want success, start thinking of yourself as a success.” ~ Joyce Brothers
The road to mastery is paved with setbacks. If you cannot repeat the process you did to gain the success you have, then you are not a master at it. Success Mastery can be achieved in numerous ways.
Most people think that effort and success are always directly linked – the more effort you put in, the more success you get out. But success is actually nonlinear. This misunderstanding is why the majority of people give up before they reach the rewards. Sometimes you will fall back to move forward.
Repeatable Success
“Successful people do ordinary things with extraordinary consistency, commitment and focus.” ~ Jon Gordon
Success comes at moments when you actually reach an end-goal for which you’ve strived. The time period is a fleeting moment until the next challenge. At other times, the result is mastery that could not have been achieved without the near wins that necessitate that continued pursuit.
Since not everyone is a winner in the game of success, those who win may not feel the success expected. Many of those who lose are the near wins you push forward to as you prepare and focus on what you want.
If you cannot repeat the process you did to gain the success you have, then you are not a master at it. Success mastery can be achieved in numerous ways.
Acquiring Mastery of the Near Win
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” ~ Aristotle
Mastery is a state of mind where you mastered skill and are the best in your field in a particular area. Some are born with a special talent, while others have to work harder to achieve the same or close to the same skills.
“Everyone strives for success, but it’s mastery that’s more rewarding.” ~ Sarah Lewis
There are many silver linings for those who don’t win. Losing is learning if you see it that way; the idea that losing is a necessary part of winning.
The process of mastery requires patience, persistence, continuous learning, and maintaining a high level of curiosity. Mistakes should be viewed as opportunities for growth and not as setbacks or reasons for doubt.
Steps to mastering any new subject are just like success, winning is just a moment. After you succeed or “win”, the feeling stays with you. Essentially, you need to be able to repeat the task you did before the same way. That’s mastery.
Losing can ignite your determination and drive as you motivate yourself to move forward, if you let it. Losing is essential to anyone’s success. As everyone reacts differently to losing, it is easy to get consumed with frustration and the feeling of giving up when things do go your way. This happens to many people who are so close but give up just before realizing their success.
The First Step is Often the Hardest
“Every successful person finds that great success lies just beyond the point when they’re convinced their idea is not going to work.” ~ Napoleon Hill
Being more proactive and paying attention to what you are doing allows you to visualize getting to your end-goal. The first step is manifesting a winning mindset. This allows you to think and focus on a specific goal to work toward. Once you’ve defined your goal, the next step is to visualize it. Close your eyes and imagine yourself achieving your goal. Picture every detail.
Once you have a clear picture, you need to take action. The following are the steps for the small wins to achieve the final goal:
· Determine the skill you want to master: Narrow your focus.
· Set specific stretch goals on your path to developing that skill.
· Identify the factors critical to success and develop your strengths in those areas.
· Visualize that clearly to show what success and failure look like.
· Schedule challenging practices to develop your skill and go beyond that.
· Continually set higher goals so you keep improving.
· Consistency is the key to success as long as you are willing to develop the skill and use it continuously. People like consistency in the various things you do throughout your life.
· Your extreme lesson is to Practice, Practice, Practice.
Celebrating Your 'Near Wins'
“Track your small wins to motivate big accomplishments.” ~ Teresa Amabile
Do one small thing you cannot do. If you fail at it, try again. Do better the second time. If you need to keep doing this until you, have it successful enough to repeat it over and over again. That way you are not just successful, you are also mastering what you do best for that specific skill. The challenge that is full of wins may still need continuous improvement.
“Success may result in winning, but winning does not necessarily mean you are a success.” ~ John Wooden