Tweet

Playing to Win

Written by: Zig Ziglar

Article Overview: Anything can happen - and it often does! One of the old clichés in professional athletics is that on any given day in any given city, one professional athletic team can beat another team. Their standings in the won-loss record at that moment don’t really matter. That’s equally true in individual competition when you have players who are skilled and determined to do their best.

Playing to Win

Anything can happen - and it often does! One of the old clichés in professional athletics is that on any given day in any given city, one professional athletic team can beat another team. Their standings in the won-loss record at that moment don’t really matter. That’s equally true in individual competition when you have players who are skilled and determined to do their best.

female tennis player in actionKathy Horvath is a classic example. Kathy Horvath had every reason to believe that she would lose when she faced Martina Navratilova on May 28, 1983. Kathy was rated 45th in the world; Martina was ranked number one and had not lost a match all year. Martina had won 36 straight matches. Her record in 1982 was 90 victories with only three defeats. Her defeats were to highly-ranked players like Chris Everett Lloyd and Pam Schreiber. Furthermore, Kathy Horvath was only 17 years old and they were playing in front of 16,000 people.

As it often happens in matches like this, Kathy got off to a fast start and won the first set 6-4. Martina came storming back in the second set and blew her off the court, winning that set 6-0. They started the last set and it was truly nip-and-tuck. They were tied at 3-3 and Martina was serving. To everyone’s surprise, Kathy Horvath, the overwhelming underdog, won the set and the match. Someone asked Kathy about her strategy and she replied very simply, “I was playing to win.”

That’s significant. Too many people play not to lose; Kathy was playing to win. The message is clear. Play to win, and I’ll SEE YOU AT THE TOP!

Related Articles
  Are You Playing to Win or Playing Not to Lose?
  Sports and Raising/Lowering Your Game
  What Ohio State Football Can Teach You About Your Business
  Top Ten Reasons To Work with a Life Coach for your Personal Development
  Play the Full Table

Article Tags: 17 years, chris everett lloyd, clich, female tennis player, horvath, martina navratilova, match, pam, professional athletics, schreiber, surprise, underdog



Related Forum Posts
Willing to Fail Your Way to Success - Entrepreneurs in my opinion, must be willing to fail. (This is that risk-taking factor quoted in the other post). If you aren't willing to fail then you don't take risks and if you don't take risks you do I like to call (I am qouting an awesome book called Play to Win!) 'Playing Not to Lose' instead of 'Playing to Win'. When you Play to Win you must risks. Risks are how you build a business and innovate.


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

Emotional Intelligence in Business

Setting Goals for your Home Based Business

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.