1.3 Are you a winner  (Page 6/2)

Life orientation

Grade 8

Self-esteem

Module 4

Are you a winner?

You are what you think or not?

There is a well -known saying that vegetarians use when they are confronted by the run-of-the- mill carnivore: You are what you eat! Just think of the guilty feelings such a saying can cause when you sit there, poised with knife and fork, ready to strike at a juicy, underdone steak! Or a tender piece of veal...

There is great truth in the saying: You become what you think you are. In other words, your thoughts often determine what is to become of you. If you see yourself as stupid, you would be too unmotivated or scared to try - and if you do not try - you cannot expect to achieve success. Your negative expectations become true, in other words. If someone tells you often enough that you are bad or ugly, you will start to believe it. It is even more dangerous if the voice that tells you such negative things is your own. Who can you believe, if you can't believe yourself? Can you see how dangerous such negative selfspeak can be? It is vital that you stop negative thoughts before they form a pattern which will make you less than you deserve to be. Substitute positive thoughts for negative thoughts.

Well, I used a whole lot of words to say that your thoughts often determine your success. This is it in a nutshell: You have to think like a winner to be a winner.

Important: Winners are not always the brightest stars - and the brightest stars are not always winners.

If you set a realistic aim, and you reach that aim and you are happy about it - then you are a winner!

Let's look at the characteristics of a winner…

1. A winner realises or uses his or her full potential

This means that a winner competes against him- or herself to achieve the best result he or she is capable of. If you are able to get 100% in a subject and you get only 70% (and there was no real reason for not getting 100%), you did not use your full potential. If you are able to get 50% and you do so, then you are a winner. If you do your own personal best, you are a winner. Do not give in to the temptation to become a "minimum" kind of person.

• Think seriously... Do you live and achieve according to your full potential? What does your little voice inside say?

• The next question should be: What prevents you from doing your best? Quickly, write down your very first thought. Do not think too deeply here.

Let's put our heads together and decide what can prevent people from doing their best.

Remember

Listen to one another.

Jot down roughly before committing it to your paper.

Stay within the time limit that the teacher or group leader sets.

Reasons why people do not reach or realise their full potential:

• Before you write down your final ideas: Which of the reasons given are valid reasons and which are only excuses that people make?
• How would one distinguish between excuses and real reasons?
• What about... "I failed because the teacher does not like me" or "I failed because my mother did not help me." Excuse or reason?
• What about: "I did badly because I had a fight with my best friend just before we started writing" or "I felt terribly ill that day." Excuse or reason?
• It would also help if you come with a suggestion to solve the problem, such as, "I would like to rewrite the test if I may when I feel better."