Win Every Game You Play

To be a winner you need to have the gut instinct, that talent, that determination, that it factor that puts you over the top of everyone else. A lot of people have it, a lot do not. Many people tend to focus on the wrong aspects of athletics and ignore the basic principles of winning. Winners are hard to come by because they often don't have the right attitude. Here are ways that you can increase your chances of winning while having that championship attitude all along.

1. Don't be shy. You're participating in the athletic event to win, not to make friends. You have to give it your all and go out there to win, not to just play the game. The person who last said "this game was just for fun" or "it didn't really mean much" doesn't have the competitive fire and didn't care if they won or lost. Extinguish that attitude from yourself.

2. Losing is the worst possible thing. Clearly, athletics is not the most important thing in the world, when it comes down to the grand scheme of things yes, it's just a game. However, the worst possible outcome of that game is to lose. You should never ever settle for a loss, you shouldn't be afraid of losing, but you should be aware that it's the last thing you want.

3. Trash talk. Yeah, it's not for everyone but the psychological aspect of the game is much bigger than you can imagine. By trash talking and embarrassing them you'll be in their heads and they won't have that same motivation to go out and beat you. In the converse, don't let trash talking get to you. You see NBA and NFL players trash talking back and forth all the time, because it's the game within the game. If someone is talking to you, talk right back, don't ever back down.

4. Take it one play at a time. Don't start thinking of the last part of the game in the opening seconds, concentrate on the task that is at hand, the one right in front of you. If you have to stop the guy with the ball, stop him. If you have to bunt the ball in the perfect place, do it. Don't worry about what happens later in the game, worry about and concentrate on what is going on in the now.

5. The only stat that matters is who won the game. If you're playing a championship basketball game and you score 45 points and the guy you were covering all game scored 2, but they won the game, guess who is going to feel better when the game is over. Stats don't matter, wins do.