When you commit to unleashing your full potential and living authentically, you do the world a service: You position yourself to share your talents and gifts with others. Take inspiration from Academy and Grammy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington and take the necessary risks to align with your purpose. “When you don’t care about what other people say, and you have let go of that fear of judgment, you have reached a dangerously amazing level of freedom.”

“Trust the process” and share your authentic gifts with the world.

Failure can be discouraging, but remember that every successful leader, athlete and entrepreneur has failed. The secret is to “fail forward”: Learn from situations that don’t go as you’d hoped and keep pursuing your goal. Think back to when you were a child: You learned how to walk by falling repeatedly. The same rule applies in adulthood. “Successful players in the game realize they must learn from situations so they can effectively navigate through it every time the situation pops up.”While you should become comfortable with failure, this doesn’t mean you should be comfortable with losses.

Reframe your view of failure. Look at it as a component of success.

The saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun,” might ring true sometimes. The outcome is the same whenever you choose to live your life passively instead of proactively: regret.Pause and reflect on your past year: How much time did you spend embodying your life’s purpose? How much time did you waste on unproductive meetings, unnecessary activities and inefficient processes? Are you content with your career path? Are you truly happy in your personal life? Do you wish you had prioritized what matters to you? Remember, you only have one life and are responsible for making it count.

You only have one life, so make every second count by “playing to win” every day.

In theory, it’s easy to understand the importance of healthy habits, yet 99% of people fail to make the changes needed to put the right habits into place. Reflect on your daily patterns: Are you taking intentional action toward your goals, or are you just relying on what feels familiar as you attempt to get through another day? Write down your daily habits.As James Clear explains in Atomic Habits, you may not see results overnight, but over time, small changes “compound into remarkable results.”

Work toward your goals relentlessly each day with the “one-percent mentality.”

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">When you experience stress at chronic, harmful levels, it can trigger serious health issues, such as high blood pressure – or even trigger a heart attack. Get your stress levels under control by doing three things: </li><li class="ql-align-justify">“Decide not to be stressed” – Have you ever noticed that some people get stressed out when faced with a challenging situation, while others don’t? </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Focus on what you can change – Don’t overly fixate on things you can’t control, including past failures or missed opportunities. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Breathe – Your breathing tends to speed up when you’re stressed, so take some long, deep breaths. </li></ul>

Don’t let stress prevent you from excelling. Control it by following three rules.

Surround yourself with the right people by following these rules:<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">Choose a team with the “It Factor” – Decide what success looks like to you, who are winning on your terms and inspire you to be your best every day.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Get sponsors and mentors – Connect with sponsors – professionals who’ve achieved higher levels of success than you.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Build a robust social network – Continually assess your social network and look for ways to expand it.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Identify cheerleaders and supporters – Not all your connections need to be the living embodiment of the kind of success you’re pursuing. </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Know when to ask for support. </li></ul>

Choose your team wisely on your journey toward success.

<ul><li class="ql-align-justify">You only have one life, so make every second count by “playing to win” every day.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Take ownership of your game and relentlessly pursue excellence in four steps.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Prepare mentally, physically and emotionally to “play the long game.”</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Work toward your goals relentlessly each day with the “one-percent mentality.” </li><li class="ql-align-justify">Choose your team wisely on your journey toward success.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Don’t let stress prevent you from excelling. Control it by following three rules.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">Reframe your view of failure. Look at it as a component of success.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">“Trust the process” and share your authentic gifts with the world.</li></ul>

Key Points

The journey of greatness requires these 4 steps:<ol><li class="ql-align-justify">“Own your game” – Take ownership of your life and avoid “playing the victim” when things don’t go as planned.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">“Be 100% all-in” – Commit to your game on an emotional, mental and physical level. Without commitment, you can’t create a workable strategy or achieve results – you’re just hoping something good happens.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">“Trust yourself enough to take risks without second-guessing your decisions.</li><li class="ql-align-justify">“Make hating to lose a priority” – Cultivate the discipline, dedication and “hate-to-lose mentality” required to be truly accountable to yourself and your goals. </li></ol>

Take ownership of your game and relentlessly pursue excellence in four steps.

Preparation is vital when playing to win.Preparing to play also means prioritizing your physical and mental health. You can’t achieve your goals or show up for others if you feel exhausted and depleted. Call a “timeout” if you need time to reset and re-energize. After your break, refocus by reminding yourself of your goals and priorities and adjusting your plans as needed. When you invest in building mental, emotional and physical strength, you develop the toughness and resiliency required to achieve, even when other people respond pessimistically to them.

Prepare mentally, physically and emotionally to “play the long game.”

Dominate The Game will mentally prepare you to show up the right way each day, motivate you to take the shots that others won't take, and then help you to elevate, separate, and dominate your game. The principles discussed will challenge you, pushing you to become confident in your ability to conquer any situation you may face in pursuit of your goals, ambitions, and dreams. The pain of regret is far greater than the pain of discipline; remember, life waits for no one. If you want to achieve greatness, you need to take charge and make plays happen. It all starts with you. Dominate the Game is a complementary book to Jennifer A. Garrett's book, Move the Ball, a personal growth book that has been recognized across the globe. Move the Ball is a book focused on preparing vision, strategies, playbooks, blueprints, and game plans to accomplish your goals and priorities in business, in your career, and in life. Dominate the Game focuses on elevation, playing to win, a mindset of zero limits, acceleration, stretching oneself, next level, exponential growth and going against the grain to not just "move the ball", but to dominate your game. ﻿﻿﻿Tomorrow is never promised, so today is the day for you to suit up, to show up, and to move the ball.