Everybody wants to win.

Nobody goes fishing, not wanting to catch a fish.

Nobody takes a test looking to fail.

The desire to win has become such a big part of our lives that not a day goes by without us thinking about it.

Winning Is Fun

In the modern context, winning is typically associated with material gain, recognition and influence.

Just look at the world of trading and investing…

When you think of George Soros, what comes to mind?

It would probably have something to do with how he broke the Bank of England and walked away with a cool £1 billion.

Now that’s an awesome win.

Winning is, to be blunt, downright fun.

Winning Is What We Can See

When we look at the World Cup champions, we see a winning team.

We see the quality of their passes, their ability to read the game, and their incredible ball control skills.

What we don’t see however, are the small everyday decisions that got them there.

Most people focus on the winning event — the glitter of fame and fortune.

Few would look beyond the event to understand what caused it.

What We Don’t See

For every large winning event, there are a thousand small decisions that were made along the way.

Before Michael Jordan became Michael Jordan, he was pretty much just like everyone else.

The only difference was that while everyone else was sleeping in, he would get up before dawn and practice.

Instead of going to the pub with his friends at night, he was on the court doing drills.

Instead of sitting on his couch watching TV over weekends, he went for endurance runs.

Two extra hours of practice a day became an extra 14 hours of practice a week… which became 56 extra hours a month and 672 extra hours a year.

This is what we don’t see.

We see only the NBA finals and how he took the winning shot.

It’s a glorious win, no doubt.

But what really got him to win, wasn’t how well he played that night. That’s the misconception.

What got him to win was the process of being on the court, day in, day out, for years.

When he was tired, he practiced. When it was raining, he practiced. When he didn’t feel like it, he practiced.

And that’s what makes Michael Jordan, Michael Jordan.

That was what got him that big win.

It wasn’t that one good shot in the final few seconds of the game.

The Process Isn’t Sexy

But of course, hard work isn’t sexy. Showing up every day isn’t fun.

It’s a small difference waking up an hour earlier each day to work on your craft.

But it’s what makes The difference.

It’s the work ethic that becomes a habit, which solidifies into a lifestyle.

But The Process Gets You To The Event

So you want to win, I get it. Everybody does.

The question is, what are you doing in the process, that nobody else is willing to?

What are you wiling to give up, to get to your winning event?