In part 1 of 7 Ways to Win in 2009, I showed you how important it is to put a name to the game you want to play.  In this part, I’ll answer the famous question, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”

If you’re a tennis player you’ll need to get hold of a good racket and some tennis shoes and you’ll need to get yourself onto the court.  You’ll need to work on your serve and your backhand, you’ll need to work on the power in your stroke and in your legs.  You’ll need to learn how to deal with the pressure of competition and how to remain focused.  You’ll need to learn how to be a great player.

If you’re a pianist you’ll need to learn the instrument, get a feel for the music and practice putting it all together in a performance.

If you’re a CEO you’ll need to learn how to be a great manager, how to create and navigate towards a compelling vision and how the get the best from people and you’ll need to practice and develop those skills and strategies to stand a better chance of winning.

Whatever game you want to play, there will be certain skills and strategies that will make you a great player, and particular skills and strategies that make the game easier to play.

So what skills are necessary to play your game?
What do you need to be able to do well in order to increase your chances of winning?
What skills would help you to play the game?
What strategies can you employ that will help you play at your best level?
What would make you a more confident player?

These are all questions you need to think about if you’re going to get into the game, bring it to life and have a shot at winning.

That’s exactly what I’ve done with Truly Confident Living – I’ve identified the skills that will make someone a great player, looked at how they can practice those things and how to employ the strategies that get results.

I get that talking about ‘practice’ sounds dull.  I really do.  But it’s not.  I’m going to come up with a new word for it that doesn’t sound so pedestrian or difficult.  Maybe “maxi-skilling” or “successinating”.  Or something silly like “sunzap”.

But practising (or sunzapping) is an integral part of playing a game and if the game has a personal relevance you’ll want to get stuck in.

You won’t be one of those people who shys away from practice because you don’t see the point or it feels too hard, simply because you understand that practicing and experiencing the game is the only way you’ll learn how to play to win.

Sure, you might not win every single game, but with every game you’ll learn more about how to play and what it takes to truly win.  Recognise that, and you’re already a winner.

In part 3 of 7 Ways to Win in 2009 – How you’re hard-wired to be awesome at certain things, and how to use those things to your benefit…