The Secret To Winning More Often

Ever notice how some people seem to win all the awards? Certain people seem to have all the luck & success that we all kind of wish we had, right?

 

The truth? The people who win more often are usually the ones who show up more often.

 

For several years I worked for one of the leading branding & design consultancies in the world. The place was filled to the rafters with amazing design talent of all kinds: graphic designers, product designers, retail environment designers, web designers, researchers, copywriters, marketing experts, and more. We even had some truly amazing people who took care of our one-of-a-kind design studio facilities.

 

During my time there, our firm won a ton of of local and national awards. I even won a few myself. However, there was one designer who gathered more awards -- by far -- than anyone else. 

 

He was an extremely talented designer. But that's not why he won so many awards.

 

He produced stunning results for our clients. But that's not why he won so many awards.

 

He was highly creative, extremely detail-oriented, and obsessive about the quality of his designs. But that's not why he won so many awards.

 

I, like many in our company, was (still am) in awe of his talent. I was also fascinated by his ability to generate so much praise and recognition. So one day, I flat-out asked him how he won so many awards.

 

His voice lowered to almost a whisper. He leaned toward me as if he was about to reveal Colonel Sanders' secret recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

 

"Dude," (yes, he really said dude) "it's because I ENTER more award competitions than anybody else."

 

Award competitions often cost money to enter, sometimes lots of money. Which is why companies often only nominate a few of their people or projects.

 

My colleague believed in his work (and the mystical power of award statues) so much that if the company wouldn't pay the entrance fee for an award competition he wanted to enter, he would pay for it out of his own pocket. I don't have any real statistics, but my guess is that he entered 3-4 times as many award competitions than anyone else.

 

While my designer friend truly did deserve the awards he won, sometimes the winner is not the best.

 

In the mid 1990's, Tim Allen's hit TV show, Home Improvement, was at its peak. It was widely regarded as the best sitcom on TV. But one year, when it clearly should have taken home the Emmy Award in its category, it didn't win.

 

You see, Tim & his staff forgot to enter the competition. It was quite the Hollywood blunder. Kinda hard to win if  you never show up to the game, huh?

 

I once heard a story about two kids in the same family who got vastly different Christmas gifts. One clearly got what he wanted and the other didn't. The difference? The one who got what he wanted made a list, the other didn't. The one who got what he wanted got in the game.

 

Let's be clear about one thing: I'm not talking about winning and losing here. That's against my nature. I'm more of an "abundance conspirator" -- in most "games" there doesn't have to be a loser in order for others to succeed. 

 

What I'm talking about here is making sure you show up. Are you even playing the game? Are you in it for real, or are you just doing the bare minimum to get by?

I am not a fan of the lottery, but I do love one of their taglines: You can't win if you don't play. 

 

That is 100% true. Great results do not happen automatically.

 

Here are a few ways you can rephrase the statement to make it more relevant to your life and work: 

 

You can't have a great team if you don't work at building a great team.

 

You can't have new skills if you don't learn, try, and practice new skills. 

 

You can't be more creative if you don't experience new things. 

 

You can't get in shape if you don't get your buns off the couch.

 

You can't build relationships if you don't relate to people on their terms (not yours).

 

You can't deliver amazing service if you don't shift your focus to be 100% on your customer's needs. 

 

There are times I find myself wishing I was having the success that someone else seems to be having. When I stop to examine why, l discover -- almost without exception -- the difference is that they've put themselves into the game and I haven't. They're showing up and giving it 100% in that area and I'm not.

 

So, the secret to winning more often? Get in the game more often. You can't win if you don't play.

 

See you next week!

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A Very Special Invitation For A Very Special Person

Aloha!

This is a very special invitation because you're a very special person who reads our very special blog. Nope, it's not our normal article posting, but  once in a great while we send out a notice of a very special event that we think will inspire & equip you to be more even more amazing at what you do.

This is one of those events. And you've got 2 days to sign up for a very special price. Because we've already discussed how very special you are. You'll still be able to sign up after this week, but it'll cost more. You'll still be very special, though. That, my friend, will never change.

So, no article this time. But if you really need your fix, here's one of our favorites from the sparkives:  What's On Your Fork? 

CREATING A POSITIVE CHARGE WORKSHOP
Date: Tuesday, July 26th
Time: 8am-12:30p
Location: sparkspace

EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT: Receive $20 off per ticket if you register by the end of day Friday, June 17th. You must enter EARLYBIRD in the "Coupon" box at checkout to receive the discount.

>>Full details and registration information

Are you tired of the negativity at work?
Is your job in "constant change" mode?
Do you have employees or co-workers that drag you down with their poor attitude and work ethic?

You need a positive charge!

Invest a half-day with sparkpace and we guarantee to energize your positivity with our flagship workshop. You will learn how to eliminate the biggest causes of negativity in the workplace and how to create and maintain a culture of positivity in your team.

This public workshop is the exact same workshop we've conducted in private events for Fortune 500 organizations. Now you can attend as an individual, or bring your entire team. It's affordable, it's powerful, and most of all, it's the positive charge you've been looking for.

>>Full details and registration information

The Most Powerful Positivity Tool Ever Invented

I have discovered the most powerful positivity tool ever invented. 

I spend a ridiculous amount of time reading, studying, and seeking out new ways to increase positivity in the workplace. My Kindle holds an entire library of books from today's most ground-breaking and influential authors on leadership, teamwork, and positive psychology. I regularly attend webinars, teleseminars, and workshops on these topics and more.

And yet none of these places is where I found the most powerful positivity tool ever invented.

I found it at The Container Store. It wasn't on the shelf. It wasn't even for sale. In fact, they gave it to me for FREE! 

I also discovered it at my local Sears Hardwarestore. Also free.

I found it at the Ritz Carlton in Naples, Florida and at the fabulous new Giant Eagle Market District in Upper Arlington, OH. Believe it or not, I even saw one at at truck stop on I-70 (the one just past the middle of nowhere). Yep, free there, too.

Even with all the scientific breakthroughs in psychology, biology, cultural anthropology and several other ologys, there is only one tool that has immediate, atomic-like positivity power.

What am I talking about and where can you get one? You're dying to know, aren't you?

It's a SMILE. A genuine, ear-to-ear, show-all-your teeth (well, except in that truck stop) smile.

Nothing creates positive energy more quickly than a smile. Nothing diffuses a negative situation more instantly than a smile. Nothing says, "I'm happy you're here" like a smile. Nothing says, "Life is Good" better than a smile (ok, a LIfe is Good t-shirt does that pretty well, too, but keep in mind their mascot, Jake, has a big, goofy smile on his face on nearly every shirt).

A real smile. It's the only kind that works.

Fake smiles stink. They're like a limp handshake. Don't bother offering either one. They make the recipient feel icky for at least 45 minutes. I do not believe in "fake it 'til you make it." Again, icky.

But a real smile, now THAT can change my whole day for the better.

About four sentences ago, I lost a bunch of readers. They said, "Really? That's it????" And they bailed. They missed the whole point. They're too skeptical to really understand how powerful a smile can be. They'd probably never buy a Life is Good t-shirt, either. That's ok, because you're still with me. And you and I are going to change the world.

I run a few times each week and I've made a practice of smiling at people running toward me. Granted, I get a mixed reaction. Some people flash one back. Others avoid eye contact. Still others glance behind themselves to see just who I'm smiling at. But, honestly, I don't do it for them. I do it for me. I've found that every time I beam out a big smile, I get a burst of energy. It's not an emotional burst, it's a biological burst. It's like my own little turbo booster. And I like to imagine the people I smile at telling their family at dinner "You should have seen this psycho guy running at the park..."Sure does make my runs a little less tiring and a lot more fun.

Hardly anyone smiles when they run. And, in my humble opinion, very few people smile much at work, either. We reserve our smiles for long weekends and funny movies and cute babies as if we have a limited supply and we don't want to waste that supply on our co-workers or customers. 


Did you know that you have an UNLIMITED supply of smiles while you're alive? It is impossible to run out. Even when I'm exhausted near the end of one of my runs, I can still muster a smile at those last few people I pass. 


Even on your absolutely worst days at work, you can still smile once in awhile. It may not always feel emotionally possible, but it is. We've all experienced a stressful situation that was transformed by someone's big smile and calming presence. Somebody today might need that transformation. YOU could make it happen with your fabulous smile.

So how do you get more smiles from others? You get at least one smile for every one you give. No, it's not always an immediate payment, but the more you smile at others, the more smiles you will receive, I promise. Smiles are Karmic.

Here are a couple of easy ways to smile more at work:

- Start your day with a smile. When you arrive at work, before you do anything, before you say anything, find someone to smile at. If nobody else is there, smile at the landscaping, or the family picture on your desk, or the portrait of the company's founder hanging in the lobby (does any company still do that?).

- Make the hallways smileways. Get out of your own head and pay attention to other people when you're walking from place to place. Make eye contact and smile at everybody. In two days, you will earn the reputation as the happiest, most positive person in the company.

Here's an advanced smileway technique: when you see somebody in the hallway, briefly cut your pace in half as soon as you make eye contact. Turn on that smile and combine it with a genuine "Great to see you" kind of comment. The slight pause tells that person, "You're important  to me & I really am glad to see you." It's a small gesture, but amazingly powerful. And it costs you a whole 2.4 extra seconds out of your day.

- Whenever you're having a tough time, stop and count to ten (or three or seven) and find something,anything that will make you smile. And enjoy that supreme moment when your smile reminds you that life (and work) ain't so bad after all.

- And by all means, when you see somebody that needs to smile, give them yours. The bigger the better. 

Should be easy for most of you to smile today -- I'm sending this on a Friday. I secretly hope that most people will wait to read this on Monday. Because I've never seen a workplace that couldn't use a good dose of smile-powered positivity on a Monday.

Smile ya later!

P.S. Just because I thought people needed more smiles I created a Facebook page called Things That Made Me Smile Today. I post one or two things each day that made me smile. Many others share their smiles, too. I figure if you're going to spend a few minutes at work on Facebook, you might as well spend them on something positive.

A HUGE Lesson From The Indy 500

From The Huffington Post

Sunday, I checked off one of the things on my bucket list. I attended the Indy 500. Never been there before. Probably won't go back. But it was a most excellent experience. Worth doing once in your life.

Since it's a holiday week and I know you've got a lot to do, I'll skip the buildup and get right to the point.

Don't give up.

Rookie driver JR Hildebrand had the race in the bag...until the final turn when he hit the wall and destroyed the right side of his car.

Think about this for a second. He drove 499.75 miles, made 799 left turns, was moments away from winning the race and he HIT THE WALL.

Don't give up.

Dan Wheldon was pretty darn sure he was going to come in second, but he kept his foot on the accelerator and beat Hildebrand in the final two seconds of the race.

If you feel like you're not winning right now, don't give up.

I don't know why, but I have the feeling you needed to hear this today.






P.S. And always remember, you really only race against yourself.