I am on a mission in 2022 to help myself and others win. Win what? Win in life. Win in our hearts. Win back self-worth and self-love. Win with others. Win fulfilment. Win meaning. Win love. Just win in your world. Not only do I want to help people win, but I want them to win each day with each action they take, no matter the outcome of that action. We live in a world that teaches a win-lose approach to life, so I want to introduce a win-win alternative.
I have already spoken about new years resolutions, and how they put enormous pressure on people to achieve a goal or outcome that they perceive will make them happy, healthy, admired, or successful. The greatest challenge I see with this type of approach is that it leads to a win-lose situation. In other words, if I achieve my goal, I win and if I don’t, then I lose. The other challenge I see, is one I have experienced many times in my life. That is, the achievement of the goal does not lead to happiness, health, admiration, or success. There is no way that any external achievement can fill the internal void that most of us have.
That is why I coined the phrase, new year’s restitution as an alternate way to approach 2022. The definition of ‘restitution’ is, the act of restoring to the rightful owner that which has been taken away, lost, or surrendered. If we have a void within us, such as lack of self-worth, self-belief, confidence or love, no amount of external goal achievement will change it. And, if it does, it will be short-term. So, the way to restore what has been taken away, lost, or surrendered and create long-term inner joy, happiness, fulfillment, and success is to shift the focus from the win-lose outcome to the win-win process.
If we shift our focus to taking action every day, then two things will happen. Firstly, it is a no-lose situation, because simply taking the action is a win. So, each day, maybe multiple times every day, you get to enjoy and celebrate the feeling of winning. Secondly, by committing to daily action, and continuing to act each day, the things you want to achieve will happen predictably. When I decided to write my first book, I was working over 100 hours per week in two businesses. So, to be very honest, the thought of writing whole book was intimidating and overwhelming. I knew, however, I could write a handful of words each day, and that became my strategy and focus. I wrote a little bit, I felt like a winner, I celebrated, and I did that each day. Guess what happened? With that focus on the simple win-win action every day, I ended up with a book. It was not luck, talent, ability, or willpower. It was winning each day.
With each day that I acted, doing what seemed like an insignificant amount of writing, my confidence grew, my self-belief was being restored and I started to regain the self-worth I had lost. Not only that, but I became an author and transformed my life. It didn’t happen in a day, it happened day-by-day. There were days when I didn’t feel like it. I did it anyway and celebrated. There were days when what I wrote was terrible. I did it anyway and celebrated. There were days when I didn’t know if it would ever be finished. I did it anyway and celebrated. No matter what, the action I took was the win.
The action you take will always be a win, even if it doesn’t return the result you want. I mean, you may be making phones calls to sell, book, or connect that go horribly wrong. You will learn something. That’s a win, so celebrate. You may audition for a show, go for an interview for a job or send a manuscript to a publisher, and get rejected. It will build your resilience and determination, and help you find exactly what you are after. That’s a win, so celebrate. No matter what the action is or what the outcome, it is always a win-win situation, and will always lead to what you ultimately want in life… joy, happiness, fulfillment, and success.
Are you ready to make 2022 a win-win year? Then all you need to do it focus on the actions you take each and every day. In my podcast this week called, Going the distance, with world record breaking marathon swimmer Tammy Van Wisse, she talks about how her amazing achievements in swimming happened just one stroke at a time. The same will happen for you. Let daily action be the win, and then, as a result, enjoy what you predictably create in your life. Trust me, this is a game-changer. Celebrate winning today.
Good Advice as always. Thank You, Andrew.