WINNER'S MIND

Going against the conventional wisdom that winning isn't everything, this guide takes the position that winning is indeed more fun than losing and provides a step-by-step formula for achieving success in any of life's endeavors. In addition to sharing his personal experiences as a world-class tennis player and successful businessman, Allen Fox unveils the secrets of champions and reveals how everyone can put them to use to tilt the odds in their favor in a hilarious, take-no-prisoners tone. Factors contributing to success, such as common mental characteristics of winners and the role of intellect over emotion, as well as obstacles to victory such as the insidious and pervasive fear of failure and the unconscious struggle between ambition and fear, are also discussed.

Table of Contents:
PART ONETHE COMPULSION TO COMPETE AND ACHIEVECHAPTER ONEA Look Into The Mind of The Habitual WinnerThe intent of this chapter is to convince the reader that successful people in any area have certain common mental characteristics. This is approached by analyzing the personality types of the great competitors and habitual winners, as well as the genetic and environmental factors that produce them. These individuals make up only a small percentage of the population, yet they are successful at whatever they undertake, whether it is sports, business, the professions, or academics. CHAPTER TWOThe Compulsion to Compete and AchieveThe drive to win--to achieve and be successful--is, to an important degree, determined genetically. I focus on the work of Lorenz, whose studies suggest that the drives for territory, sex, and position on the social hierarchy are the most powerful innate underpinnings of the drive to win.CHAPTER THREEHow Society Pressures Us to WinI look at the environmental factors that cause us to want to win, in particular, society and our parents. It becomes clear, after the first three chapters, that our desires to win and become successful are powerful, universal, and determined by both heredity and environment.CHAPTER FOURThe Insidious and Pervasive Fear of FailureNow the dark side of the achievement equation appears. All competition and drives for achievement are accompanied by the fear of failure. This fear is also powerful and pervasive and is always a factor in competition. One's degree of fearfulness limits one's ability to achieve and, in order to reach one's achievement potential, fear must be controlled. CHAPTER FIVEThe Unconscious Struggle Between Ambition and FearFear of failure is usually unconscious and interferes directly with the drive for achievement, causing most people to become inefficient competitors. Fear nullifies much of the competitor's will to win and distorts the competitor's perceptions. Its destructive effects cause people to: refuse to compete, lie to themselves, make excuses, blame others for their failures, repudiate and replace their real goals with goals easier to achieve, fail to finish tasks, procrastinate difficult tasks, and panic on the verge of victory.PART TWOHOW THE CHAMPIONS DO ITCHAPTER SIXGoal OrientationThis chapter is about goal setting. The successful identify clear long-term goals and develop game plans for reaching them. This leads to a succession of short-term goals upon which the successful focus their energies. Without such plans, important tasks become frightening and confusing. This chapter discusses short- and long-term goals, game plans, and how to focus one's energies productively. CHAPTER SEVENKeeping Goals in MindHigh achievers never forget to keep their eyes on the ball. Any actions they take are calculated to lead them toward (and never away from) their goals. They only do things that help them win. The losers, by contrast, often act contrary to their own interests. Examples of this are when they: (1) argue with customers in a retail situation, (2) fail to complete tasks in the workplace, or (3) become angry or discouraged in athletic contests. CHAPTER EIGHTThe Feeling of ControlThe winners subconsciously feel as if they can control the outcome of events themselves. This makes them take responsibility for success or failure. It makes them work harder and more persistently to win. The losers think that success or failure is determined by factors outside of their control and are, therefore, susceptible to excuses, passivity, and weakness.CHAPTER NINEA Solution to Any ProblemThe winners subconsciously believe that all problems can be solved. This assumption ins