Born to Win summary

Have you ever watched an athletics championship race? Or the final game in a big sports competition, like the Super Bowl or soccer World Cup? In all these events, winners emerge and bask in the glory of their success.

But here’s a question: How do these winners arrive at that moment? Most likely, they showed potential earlier in life, but that’s not all it takes.

As far as the authors are concerned, everyone has potential. What separates those with potential from those who become winners is desire. Before an athlete crosses that finish line or a winning football team lifts the trophy, they first have to want to win. This drives them to plan, prepare, and ultimately, expect victory.

The key message here is: Winning starts with a vision and the desire to make it happen.

Desire is what motivates people to do the hard work that leads to winning. Think of it as a motor powering you toward success. And the motor first starts running when you establish a clear vision for yourself and your future. Often, this vision is the result of an event or an encounter.

For example, Zig Ziglar’s vision for success was inspired by a conversation with a supervisor that he admired. He was working as a salesman and his supervisor told him that he could become the best salesman in the country. Before this conversation, he’d never imagined doing anything beyond making ends meet. But when he was introduced to the possibility of greatness, he became excited about the vision. And his desire to make it a reality was born.

Once you have desire, it sparks two qualities that keep you working toward your vision: commitment and perseverance.

Commitment keeps you focused and consistent in chasing down your vision – you’ll do everything you need in order to succeed. And perseverance is what keeps you going even when the road gets rough, which it inevitably will. Think about it, when you experience setbacks or challenges, you have to be able to press on. Otherwise, your vision will never materialize.

To set off on the path to success, look for moments that inspire vision and spark your desires. Knowing exactly what you want provides the motivation you need to plan, prepare, and expect to win. In the following blinks we’ll look at how to do just that.