I found an article I had taken from the sports section of a UK newspaper back in 2007 written by Brad Gilbert, coach of tennis player Andy Murray at the time. This was way before he was the champion that he has become and Gilbert was explaining what it was going to take to make Murray No1 in the world rankings.

Gilbert had focussed on these two metrics – bodyweight and speed of serve – because he felt this was what would get the maximum possible game out of the player. He also felt that if he achieved these two metrics, the ranking would take care of itself. He didn’t want to talk about numbers or results or become obsessed on hitting a particular spot – he just wanted to make his player the best he could be.

This approach can be a really strong one to take in order to stay focussed. Fix the things you can change and don’t worry about the stuff you can’t. Work on the things that make you better and get the most out of yourself every day. The bigger things will take care of themselves over time. Yes, you need to be dedicated, work hard, be determined, a fighter, etc and all these things that lead to making winners, but also try taking this approach using specifics and see if it can work for you.

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Ian Mountford is a Strategy Coach providing motivation and guidance to entrepreneurs, wannabe or fully-fledged. He draws from his own experience of building businesses from the ground up and spending many years helping clients to consistently achieve their goals and aspirations. Ian works with clients face-to-face and internationally.