Life is like a game; there are rules to follow, goals to attain, and challenges to overcome. Successful players take time to develop their mindset, skillset, and toolset. Winning in life – and in business – is exactly the same. Therefore, to win here are a few strategies to help you lead and not lag:

• Getting Started and Connecting to Your “Why”
  Don’t stand on the sidelines, get in the game. The hardest part of the game is getting started. But why is getting started the hardest part? Whether we realize it or not, we carry doubts, fears, plans, expectations, inherited beliefs, and illusions before we begin pursuing our aspirations. The task of carrying so much mental baggage creates resistance and distracts us from our purpose. To push past this resistance, focus on your “Why.” What’s weighing you down and preventing you from playing the game at peak performance? What’s your Why?
• Don’t Be Afraid of the “G” Word
  Goals are often associated with doing the things we fight ourselves to accomplish; dieting, working out, finishing a book, or philanthropic efforts, to name a few. However, playing the game to win requires us to redefine and change our perspective on goals. We often confuse a goal and a task. A goal is defined and associated with your ambition, aspiration and purpose. Goals are those things that excite and drive us to play to win. A task is something that we must get done as part of our duty or function. Are you creating goals that excite and drive you? Do these goals align with your Why?
• Expect and Embrace Challenges
  All games have challenges, so why are we surprised by issues and complexities that arise to help us to level up in life. With the onset of a challenge some of us are ready to walk off the playing field or freeze due to over analysis. Yet the best wins come from the biggest obstacles and challenging opponents. Think back to one of your greatest accomplishments. How did winning feel in that moment? What obstacles did you encounter and overcome? What strengths did you use to win? What skillset did you develop? Are you willing to level up and do what it takes to win again?
• Reset Your Mindset
  Playing in the game of life requires a winning mindset. Identify the doubts, issues, and excuses you’ve told yourself that created ambiguity and caused you to delay your goal or drop your dream. Take a moment and list as many as you can. Notice the commonalities amongst the messages and familiarize yourself with them. Know these repetitive pesky messages you’ve told yourself shift your focus from winning. They are the main culprit behind your lack of clarity and confidence. Become aware of the negative messages you encounter before and during challenges. Anticipate the messages, push forward and stay focused.

Always bear in mind, life is a game… Martin Luther King Jr. said it best, “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” Don’t just survive in the game, thrive. Play to win.