Think like a Champion - Tips from a Pro

Learn how champions think. In this article, business and career coach Heike Regina Nirschl explains what happens if you think like a champion and how you can benefit from it.  

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Think like a Champion 

A German career coach and a true champion
Heike Regina Nirschl, author of this guest contribution 
 

What makes a champion different?

Think like a champion. Which pictures do you have in mind when thinking of this sentence? Maybe the world's best slalom racers when they drive down the slope in their mind before achieving a top result? Or the top tennis players who win a big tight point just because of their mental strength? What exactly is behind "think like a champion," and how can this way of thinking help us? You will learn more about this in my article. 

When thinking of champions, mostly top sportsmen and women come to mind. Not without reason, it is the highest goal for a soccer player to play in the Champions League and to win it. "We are the champions – No time for losers", is a quote from Queen's legendary song, but it also says, "But it's been no bed of roses – No pleasure cruise". So, is it correct that you can only become a champ when you have gone to times of tears before? I think it is essential to know how we define the term "champion". A champ is fighting for something, who wants to get something done for which he or she is fighting for. 

Personal trainer in Düsseldorf, Germany
Fitness Coach Ngoc Kha Tran - a real champion
 

Motivating Children to become Champions

I have met two of those guys standing up for something in March, just during the lockdown during the outbreak of COVID 19. The mental coaches Tobias Meyer and Heiner Boos, both former competitive athletes, have developed their virtual coaching "Think like a champion" in spring. The aim is to support and motivate children in a difficult time when they could not even see their best friends and were even longing for school. 

I attended one of their first and brand-new zoom sessions with my stepdaughter Hanna and her boyfriend, Oliver. It allowed me to see how professionalism and deep enthusiasm for something can give wings to an idea. After the first session, the kids were already looking forward to the next and even the following week. Even more tools and techniques of mental coaching were waiting for them. We observed how Tobias and Heiner were managing the zoom software more professionally by integrating new features.

It´s not all about Money

Today, not even five months later, they have enthused hundreds of kids and sustainably motivated them. 
Sure, they also wanted to make money with this. However, if only money drives our actions, we will never carry away and inspire other people. And I seriously doubt that it will be satisfying for us in the long run. Tobias and Heiner - two real champions - make money with their coaching seminars. However, they also donate here and there for charity projects. As an example, they presented their first coachings' revenue to a non-profit organization helping disadvantaged kids. Both are also engaged in German service clubs such as Lions and ZONTA

Real champions
Fully motivated: Tobias Meyer, Heiner Boos and referee Urs Meyer
 

Thoughts of a Fitness Coach (and a real champion)

And here´s what personal trainer Ngoc Kha Tran (another champion) says: 

"A champion rigorously follows his life motives. He or she knows what to achieve in life and his/her task is to put goals into reality - no matter how many hurdles are on the way. Mistakes or failure are seen as opportunities to learn, to grow and - above all - to gain new insights. Instead of lamenting or giving up, a champion tries to get up again and to go on. A champ has a positive attitude towards life and only surrounds himself/herself with people that support him/her."

How do I become a ChampION in my Job?

At this point, I would like to build a bridge to my favorite personal subject, which is "fulfillment in your professional career". How do I manage to become a champion in my job? My answer as a career coach is to find out what your motivation is. Why do I get up in the morning? What gets a smile on my face? What is important to me, what do I want to change?  Which of my abilities and expertise support it? Which company shares my values? For whom do I want to work? And – likewise important – for which companies do I not want to work? 

Workout completed! Do I become a champion?
Work hard!
 

What is driving you?

From my own experience and many clients' feedback, I can give you this advice: take your time and think about what is driving you. Some various methods and tools are helpful. I like to use Simon Sinek's "Golden Circle" and his useful guidebook, "Find your why". If you now ask me what my personal WHY is, I will gladly tell you. When I get up in the morning and know that I will work holistically with a client and create an authentic CV showing the person behind career steps and successes. This approach will make a CV unique and catch the HR managers' attention. It will probably result in the invitation for a job interview. It makes me happy if my client learns how to persuade, and if he or she gets positive feedback. That's what drives me: to get people into jobs. To help people to find their professional fulfillment. To help them become champions like Tobias and Heiner provide kids with the mental strength to be successful in sports, successfully start into life, and think like a champion.

Interested in more articles written by Heike Regina Nirschl? This one is about working from home

I have published the following articles on similar subjects:


How to improve your Fitness with Tabata

How to leave our Comfort Zone

How Mindfulness can improve our Health

 

Great reading!
Written by Simon Sinek
 

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