Why everyone should know how it feels like winning!
Winning is a habit.
I went to IIT Delhi last week for recruiting interns.
One question that I generally ask when I interview people is “How were you as a student during your childhood?”. It takes me through their beginnings, and tells me what thoughts and circumstances shaped them up as human beings.
One candidate told me about his story about how he used to rank 10th-11th in his class when he was in class 7th. But one time, out of nowhere, he came 1st in his class – he was happy, elated and the new hero of the class. Everyone around him was praising him and it was a new found feeling of success for him.
But actually he wasn’t, his teacher messed up somehow and his rank was restored to what it was supposed to be. Now he was not the hero anymore. Realising this, he was sad and he literally cried all day. He missed feeling that way.
For the next set of exams, he worked his ass off – and came first. And came first thereafter.
He later went on to clear his JEE exam and joined IIT Delhi.
The moral of the story is – He had the potential to be first – at all the times but he couldn’t come first because he never intended to come first. He never fought for it because he was satisfied in being where he was until he felt how it’s like to win.
Winning is a habit – if you’re motivated by the need to excel – you’ll do it in whatever you do.
Teach yourself this. Make small successes. Feel how is it like to win. And keep winning.