The 12 Traits of Champions:
(1) Champions are positive thinkers; they believe
in themselves.
Undoubtedly the most important quality that all champions
share is an unwavering belief that they will succeed. Champions
always look for the good in every situation. No matter what
obstacles they encounter, they always continue to think
positive. Without confidence, faith in your abilities, and
positive mental attitude, you’ve defeated yourself
before you ever step onstage.
(2) Champions visualize their successes.
Champions understand the importance of positive mental
imagery or visualization. Champion bodybuilders visualize
exactly how they want their bodies to look, they see themselves
standing onstage accepting the first place trophy, and they
mentally rehearse every workout in vivid detail. They do
this over and over in their minds hundreds or even thousands
of times before it becomes physical reality.
(3) Champions surround themselves with positive
people and avoid negative influences.
Champions keep themselves in a "positive shell"
and do not associate with negative people, places, or things.
Arnold Schwarzenegger put it this way: "I have nothing
to do with negative relationships. I stay away from negative
influences. I have no time for negative thinkers and pessimists.
Such people will suck you dry until you have become as pessimistic
as they are. Then you’ll have not just one but two
losers."
(4) Champions are goal setters.
Champions realize that if they don’t know where they’re
going, that is exactly where they’ll end up; nowhere!
Champions consistently set long and short-term goals. From
day to day workout goals to long term career objectives,
champion’s have written out specific, measurable goals
with a deadline.
(5) Champions have a burning desire to succeed.
Champions not only have goals, but they ardently desire
them. Robert Collier, summed up the idea of desire beautifully
in his 1926 self-help classic Secret of the Ages."
He said, "Very few people know how to desire with sufficient
intensity. They do not know what it is to feel and manifest
that intense, eager, longing, craving, insistent, demanding,
ravenous desire which is akin to the persistent, insistent,
ardent, overwhelming desire of the drowning man for a breath
of air, or a desert-lost man for a drink of water, or the
famished man for bread and meat." Champions have burning
desire. They want it and they want it badly.
(6) Champions are disciplined and consistent.
Champions live and breathe the bodybuilding lifestyle all
year round. They are committed and disciplined in training
and dietary practices. They know that in bodybuilding there
is no off-season and success does not come overnight. Champions
never miss a scheduled workout and never miss a meal. Champion
bodybuilders are probably the most dedicated athletes in
any sport.
(7) Champions are persistent
Champions never, ever quit. Thomas Edison was the epitome
of persistence: He conducted 10,000 experiments before finally
finding a filament that would burn in the electric light
bulb. Champion bodybuilders approach their vocation with
the same diligence of an Edison. They know that if they
persist long enough, eventually they must succeed.
(8) Champions learn from their failures
Champions don't view losses as failures, they see them
as learning experiences. When asked how it felt to fail
10,000 times, Thomas Edison replied, " I didn’t
fail, I learned 9,999 ways that wouldn’t work."
Champions know that they haven’t failed until they
quit; but once they quit, then they have failed. A champion
finds a lesson in every apparent loss and finds ways to
grow from it.
(9) Champions have incredible powers of focus and
concentration
Champions set goals and then maintain a laser-like focus
on them. They have the ability to always keep the long term
objective in their sights while focusing 100% on what they
are doing at the moment. If you watch a champion train you
will notice that they are completely oblivious to their
surroundings. 100% of their focus and concentration is on
what they are doing. They almost appear to have slipped
into a hypnosis-like trance. This peak physiological and
psychological state has often been referred to as being
in "the zone" or being in "flow." Champions
can access this state instantly at will. When it comes time
to train they turn everything else off and zero in on what
they are doing.
(10) Champions have a deep love and boundless enthusiasm
for the sport.
To a loser, training and dieting is work and drudgery.
To a champion, training and dieting are a love, a joy, and
a passion. Champions are enthusiastic about what they do;
they can’t wait to train each day. Motivational speaker
Tom Hopkins once said, "Work is anything you’re
doing when you’d rather be doing something else."
Champions are doing what they love, so to them it’s
not work at all, its fun!
(11) Champions strive for constant and never ending
improvement
Champions are never satisfied with the status quo; they
never rest on their laurels. Champions aim for small improvements
every day in every way. Champions are open-minded and are
always looking for a better way to do things. Although champions
are always striving for more, they also realize that success
is a journey, so they enjoy each moment and savor every
step along the way.
(12) Champions are hard workers; they are willing
to go the extra mile
Positive thinking, goal setting, visualization, desire,
persistence, and enthusiasm are vital, but without action
and hard work, these traits are all worthless. Edison said,
"Success is 98% perspiration and 2% inspiration."
Champions are hard workers. Champions take consistent action
and they are willing to do the things that the losers are
not. Champions make themselves go to the gym when they don’t
feel like going. Champions stay on the bike another 15 minutes,
even when they are exhausted. Champions do 5 extra reps
after the losers have stopped. Champions are steadfast with
their diets when the failures break down and cheat. Champions
have the willingness to train through the pain barrier while
the failures quit when it starts to hurt. In short, champions
go the extra mile.
>>
Click here for Tom's Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle program
About the Author
Tom Venuto is an NSCA-certified personal trainer, certified
strength and conditioning specialist, lifetime natural bodybuilder,
and author of the #1 best-selling e-book "Burn the
Fat, Feed The Muscle" (BFFM). Tom has written over
170 articles and has been featured in IRONMAN Magazine,
Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Muscle-Zine,
Olympian’s News (in Italian), Exercise for Men and
Men’s Exercise. For information on Tom's "Burn
The Fat" e-book, click
here.
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