There’s NOTHING in your life that is more powerful than your perception. Your mindset. The way you view yourself, the world, and others is the single most important factor in whether or not you achieve your goals. While I knew this intellectually for a long time, it didn’t really sink in until recently. Developing a winning mindset is everything.

But how do you do it? After all, if it were easy, everyone would be crushing their goals and living the life of their dreams. But the sad reality is that very few people are actually having those experiences. Here are my secrets to shift from a losing to a winning mindset.

1. Latch Onto One Word

I’m a personal development guy, but I was never really a big believer in affirmations—until recently. You see, I just made a major transition in my life. I moved from Calgary, Alberta, to Kelowna, BC, for a new job opportunity. It was the biggest leap of faith in my life. And quite frankly, I had no idea how things would play out.

The self-doubt was constant:

“What if I didn’t click with my new team? What if they’re not satisfied with my performance? How will things go? What will I do?” 

These thoughts raced through my head. That is, until I found my safety yet… I decided to use a single word to attach to my mindset. What was that word? Breakthrough… I latched onto that word like a liferaft. Constantly repeated it in my mind.

Whenever I doubted myself? Breakthrough.

Whenever I felt insecure? Breakthrough.

Whenever I worried that things wouldn’t work out? Breakthrough.

The cool part? I instantly felt more levelheaded in the moment and unruffled by my challenges. It was like they faded away with the simple repetition of that one word. I wrote that word in my journal every day; I repeated it to myself constantly; I lived by its ethos.

The result? It created a winning mindset.

2. Extend Your Time Horizon

Most people think in terms of days, months, or years when it comes to their goals. Winners think in decades. If you want to develop a winning mindset, extend your time horizon for your goals. This grounds your ambitions. A fallacy of human thinking is the belief that we can force our goals to happen faster than is realistically possible.

This is how we end up sabotaging our success without realizing it. When we’re not millionaires within 6 months of “committing” to it, we start thinking that it “wasn’t meant to be,” and then quit prematurely. But the reality? You just didn’t give yourself enough time.

Stop thinking in terms of days, weeks, months, or even years. Instead, see yourself as “on the journey” for a lifetime. When you think about it, that’s what life is—a journey that lasts a lifetime. So, see your grandest goals and dreams from that same perspective.

3. Make Every Day Count

Every day is an opportunity to inch yourself toward your goals. Bit by bit; day by day. Don’t take ANY day for granted, as each one serves as a building block that contributes to the construction of your dream life. So… Make. Every. Day. Count. Even your worst days—the ones where you feel like you’re just barely holding on—are meaningful and important.

Every day matters. And when you start believing that, you start reinforcing the winning mindset in your consciousness. 

Let me give you an example…

I have a set of daily disciplines that are aligned with my goals and overall vision. But here’s the key: I also have a full 365-day calendar hanging on my living room wall in my apartment. Each day that I adhere to ALL of my daily disciplines (which is every day), I draw a black X through that particular day on the calendar.

This does a few things, which include:

• Holds me accountable
• Keeps me focused and in the right headspace
• Allows me to see the true value of each day

Having that visual representation is the glue that sticks your goals to your thinking. It shapes that winning mindset. Why does this matter? Because winners are not born; they’re developed. You have to cultivate a successful mentality.

And this is the system for how you can do it.

Final Thoughts On Developing A Winning Mindset

There’s a quote I heard many years ago by the late and great Dr. Wayne Dyer. He said, “You don’t attract what you want; you attract what you are.” I probably heard that quote about 15 years ago, and it’s always stuck with me. If you want to build that winning mentality, it starts with SEEING yourself as a winner.

Yes, follow the suggestions laid out in this article. But don’t forget to see who you truly are. You are a child of the Creator; you were born to win; you were bred for success. We all are. Now, get out there and crush it.

And remember: Stay Motivated And Disciplined.