Everyone likes to win. That is a given. The reality is not all of you will win because you have not prepared yourselves to create the opportunity to win. When you hate to lose it brings up the level of commitment because the outcome of losing is not acceptable to you. This leads to the question. Can you be successful without being competitive?

I was once asked this win or lose question in a job interview about ten years ago. The interviewer who was the owner of a fast paced growing company only wanted those people who had the burning desire to win. I knew in my mind the correct answer was “I hate to lose”. It was for this instance the correct answer. It was not until after the interview and I was working with the company that I came to fully understand to true meaning of the question.

Winning is comfortable. It is good for our ego. Everyone wants to deal with a winner. It speaks volumes to your ability. We all know that to win we have to train and prepare ourselves for the match be it in business or on the sports field. In sports, it’s a blend of physical and mental preparedness. In business it’s about mental preparedness, the right product or service and the personality to win the deal. In many cases with business, losing is not an option. Your lively hood depends on it. I believe in the business environment one must adopt to the hate to lose side of the question. Losing is not an option.

I believe that many top athletes do well in business and especially in sales because they have the competitive attitude. Both my sons attended a boarding school and it was compulsory they play a competitive sport. The school knew it was important to have its students being very good on and off the field. The schools attitude reinforced what I personally knew to be true. Participants will win the day over spectators every time.

So how can you achieve that competitive edge? How can you obtain that burning desire to get to the top? I believe the following tips will get you started.

• Create and write down a goal related to you being the best in your field. Remember to make sure that your goal is matched with an action plan of steps to obtain that goal.
• Spend some time with a competitive winner. Ask some questions. Learn what it is that drives them.
• Write down how you would feel if you were the top in your field. This should put a smile on your face and have you pointed in that direction.
• Do some research on being competitive. Remember that being competitive is not always about beating someone else. It can just easily be about performing better than you every have before.

Everyone has the desire to win. Those with the burning desire to win are those who hate to lose. Success as we know comes in many forms. In the business world it’s about relationships and the numbers. In the personal world it’s about meeting milestones and personal achievements. To win we need passion and persistence. When you have those two elements, losing is not an option.