Even winners lose sometimes; great champions are known to have bitten the dust and have been humbled by defeat. However, what separates a true champion is the innate tendency to shrug off the occasional defeat as a mere obstacle in their quest for the ultimate victory.

Take for example, Roger Federer. He has crossed the age of 30, an age when most would expect tennis players to go downhill; he hadn’t won a Grand Slam for a couple of years and was becoming a lot more used to defeats at the hands of other top notch players on the men’s circuit. Increasingly, Roger Federer was being branded a ‘has been’ – an all-time great of the game, nevertheless- but someone who was past his prime and unlikely to be a serious championship contender at the Majors.

But, beware the man who truly believes! Beware the man who is prepared, who continues to put in loads of hard work with total commitment, dedication and unflinching determination– victory is never too far for such a person. A person like that hardly fits in on the side of the vanquished; it is inevitable that he will find himself a victor, sooner rather than later.

That is precisely what happened at Wimbledon 2012. Roger Federer overcame sceptics to win his 7th Wimbledon championship, in the process dashing not just the hopes of Andy Murray but also of entire Britain. In his post-match conference, Federer made a telling statement, “I never stopped believing.” He said he always knew that he was good enough, he was preparing hard, putting in the hard yards and playing great tennis too; so, it was only a matter of time before victory would be his.

That is the power of belief. Even when one’s confidence may get shaken at times, a strong foundation of belief provides the requisite strength to hold everything together and take one towards success.

Chant the “I Can” mantra
“Yes! I can” is one of the most important mantras for a winner; an amazingly powerful mantra that can propel one to the seemingly unscalable heights of success.

- Jeet Victor
Jeet Victor is an inspirational writer who writes on a range of topics related to winning, success, motivation and self-actualisation.

Will power is your inner strength to make decisions and act on them regardless of internal resistances. The Power of Will exists to help you cope with life’s challenges. It drives you to attain goals or apply your talents irrespective of your emotional state. It gives you the strength to overcome inertia and build momentum, and empowers you to achieve what you want by sticking to the job till it is done. Your Power of Will is strengthened whenever you reject instant gratification and instead choose to concentrate on something worthwhile.

The Power of Will helps you to gather your energies and focus them in a positive direction. Let’s say laziness prevents you from going on a planned morning walk. This is where you need to apply your Power of Will. This power can help you to overcome bad habits such as overeating, laziness,
procrastination and indiscipline.

The Power of Will prospers when you develop the ability to control unnecessary and harmful impulses. It improves the ability to arrive at a decision and follow it through with perseverance until its successful completion. When you decide upon a list of things and behaviour that you will no longer accept from yourself, your decision-making ability grows and so does your will power.

The three important factors that affect the development of your Power of Will are:
1) Self-discipline
2) Self-control
3) Self-determination

1) Self-discipline helps you do the right things in the right way at the right time, whether you like doing them or not. It involves setting standards that you always adhere to.

You are blessed with a free will; it is through self-discipline that you can train your will to overcome obstacles. Self-discipline may be used to lose weight, take up exercise or form a daily routine. It helps you persevere and rise above procrastination, laziness and indecisiveness. Self-discipline helps you respond to all tasks with the appropriate behaviour.

2) Self-control keeps a check over your internal universe—your thoughts and emotions—to gain control over your will and actions, which create the universe outside you.

According to an ancient Indian proverb, ‘Before conquering the world, the king has to first conquer himself.’ This holds true even today. To become successful, you must increase your Power of Will and exercise control over your thoughts, emotions, will and reactions. The more you can do this, the more successful you will become.

Self-control helps you to focus on your job. You are a treasure trove of energy and power. These can be best utilized when you stop succumbing to your cravings and whims. Once you start controlling unprofitable thoughts and become aware of the choices you make every day—even every hour—you start becoming more powerful from within.

3) Self-determination is your decision-making ability. Self-determination helps you to stick to your resolutions. Maybe you have tried to change your eating habits but failed to do so because of a lack of inner strength and persistence. Most people have had such an experience. Once you have determined to shun laziness and take control over your emotions, you will develop the ability to stick to your resolutions. You are born to be rich, famous, successful, happy and healthy. If you have fallen short on any of these counts, it only means that you need to examine the state of your spiritual orientation. Your inner voice will guide you towards the right path. You must listen to your feelings, notice what is working and what is not. Resolve to change your life. Self-determination is the vital first step.

Two Action Steps:

Step 1: Keep a check over your negative emotions: Negative energies will try to pull you down like gravity. They may draw your attention to minor things and distract you from your real goals. So, beware of them and remain focused on your larger goals.

Step 2: Reject instant gratification: If you see an ice-cream parlour while walking down a street and are tempted to have your favourite flavour, do not give in to temptation. This way you will learn how to postpone gratification.

Success Mantra: Develop your willpower by using self-determination and self-discipline to keep a check over your negative emotions, and do what is necessary.

©Shishir Srivsatava, Motivational Speaker and Author ‘The Eight Powers within You’
www.shishirsrivastava.org and www.eightpowers.com