It is said that games of tennis, golf and so on are won or lost on an eleven inch playing field i.e. the distance between the player’s ears!

Now I am no sports person, although I always enjoy watching Wimbledon, but I have learned over the years that life and sport are similar in that everything depends upon our thought processes. If you think you can, you can, whereas if you think you can’t it’s virtually a certainty that you’re right!

So to succeed in any endeavor we need to take ourselves in hand, don’t we, and begin to think positively if we’ve been in the habit of thinking negatively? I feel it’s true to say that most winners are made, not born. To a certain degree we each create our own path through life by the decisions we make and by the way in which we place our focus. Do we focus on success or, subconsciously at least, on failure? Do we envy others their successes, thinking ‘Oh, it’s all right for them they’ve had advantages I’ve never had, nor am likely to have!’ or do we aspire to do/be better ourselves, regardless of our background or conditioning?

It’s through aspiration and developing belief in our capabilities that we can achieve. Most people are not born with self-belief. In fact I’d say the opposite is true. And unless we were often praised as children and encouraged to ‘go for it’ with words such as “Anything is possible you can do it if you try, and then persevere”, the chances are that we grew up believing that winning is for others, not for us.

How sad that is, when actually anyone can be a winner! Not at Wimbledon, necessarily, or on the professional golf circuit or football pitch but within!

It’s a good idea to begin with small goals and work up bit by bit to bigger ones. Get in the habit of thinking in terms of possibilities instead of impossibilities and of seeing obstacles as opportunities rather than mountains. And give yourself a mental pat on the back at every achievement, no matter how insignificant it might seem to you. So self-belief will grow and seeds will be sown for future, greater growth.

Think like a winner and winning will eventually become integral to the positive person you are!