Leaders Start by Guaranteeing a Win

I was talking to a friend and client the other day, and he was sharing about how his wife is up and running every morning – part of her daily exercise plan.  He was acknowledging this to her and relating how he was impressed by her commitment.  She said it’s her way of ensuring a daily win.

I start my mornings with a guaranteed win by simply doing what I said I would do. Most of us fight that snooze button every working morning – perhaps because we’re not inspired to get up and take on the day, or we’re just tired and wanting more sleep, or we’re just “conditioned” to snooze it for a few more minutes.  Whatever the reason, I decided a few years ago that whether or not the snooze is a good or bad thing in my life is not the important issue; my self-discipline, or lack thereof, to get up on time, as planned…that is the issue. Who starts their day feeling lazy and expects to win?

So my day starts with a simple goal – 2 snoozes. That’s it.  I know when I need to be up the next morning and set the alarm to wake me 18 minutes ahead of that. (What’s up with the 9 minute snooze default!!??) Anyway, I “allow” that bit of laziness, through snoozing, but manage it intentionally.  As long as I honor the commitment I make – 2 snoozes – I am up on time and feeling good about my first “win”. Then onto the next “win”.  I have several of these set up to start my day because, like my client’s wife, I like to have those wins each morning as well.

Aristotle said, “The greatest victory is over self”, and these wins are little, but powerful victories over self. They start things right. They start with us defining and following our own commitments. They help us earn a spot in the big leagues by developing one of the most powerful and common habits among winners – self-discipline.

Robert Schuller says, “Beginning is half done.” So, nailing the beginning of our day…perhaps that puts us at least half way closer to the finish line of a highly successful day. Like the great Usain Bolt, and other top Olympic sprinters, getting a good start is paramount to the success of the race!

Let’s get out of those blocks with some wins – some guaranteed victories – that we have complete control over. And then, as Dr. Laura says, we can “Go take on the day!”