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 The Question that Helps You Win the Mental Game of Success

Just because you are talented, get up early, and work hard does not mean that you will succeed at anything except getting up early and working hard. A lot of talented people get up early, work hard, and endure much frustration because success remains elusive.

However, when you win the mental game of success, you can sleep in (at least now and then), knock off early (at least now and then) and still surpass others who are smarter, more talented, and harder working.

Yogi Berra, long-time catcher for the New York Yankees, said “Baseball is ninety percent mental and the other half is physical.“ Even though fractions were not his strong suit, he is right about baseball. And we can say the same thing about success.

Get that ninety percent right and the other half (or, if you prefer, the rest) is physical.
Getting that ninety percent right is what I call “the mental game of success.”

When someone comes to me and laments that they get up early, work hard, and still find success elusive, I get them started on winning the mental game of success with this very simple, yet powerful technique.

Several times a day or whenever you think about it, ask yourself “What would someone who is winning the mental game of success be thinking in this moment?” Notice the question is about “thinking,” not “doing.” When you harmonize travel guides success thinking, you will see your course of action clearly. Merely ask the question and let your mind answer. Ask the question with a sense of adventure, exploration, and in the spirit of learning.

This frees the mind to generate an answer from a relaxed mental framework. Put yourself under pressure because you “have to think successful thoughts to succeed” and you will strike out every time.

You may ask “What do you mean by ‘winning’ and what do you mean by the ‘mental game of success?’” My answer is “What do you want them to mean?”

Define these concepts for yourself and change them as your understanding evolves. You will know when you have the right answers for you.

The key is persistence and consistency. If you ask the question and really don’t have a good answer, it’s OK to guess! And it’s even OK to keep asking the question until you come up with a good guess!

Let the question stimulate your thinking and engage your imagination. Before long, you will discover that your answers change your thinking, shift your perspective, and generate new actions. And that’s “the other half” (or the rest) of Berra’s sage observation.

The physical actions are really the smallest part of success.

Ask “What would someone who is winning the mental game of success be thinking in this moment?” and actions follow accordingly and generate success. Focus on the mental game of success and rest assured that the rest is “No big deal.”