It’s time to believe that you are in the process of becoming great. The key word there is process because every day there is the opportunity to move forward or backward.

No other option exists.

If you have the mindset that nothing stays the same and everything is always changing, it becomes easier to not think of yourself in static terms. Of course, that raises the question of why thinking in static terms is not beneficial.

When you take the result of any situation and use it to define who you are, you are in fact limiting your potential.

Another way to think of this is to imagine traveling a far distance to compete at a tournament then losing every match. If you think you are a loser as a result, you will be.

How you think when you lose determines how long it will be until you win.

Now what about the other side of the coin? How can there be a problem when you think of yourself as great or as a winner when you go out there and win matches or choke someone who you thought was really good?

There is a story in the The Art of Learning about a kid who built up an incredible winning streak at chess. His family and friends heaped so much praise on him about his brilliance and skill that the streak became his claim to fame.

As a result, he never wanted to challenge himself and only played against people he known he could beat. He simply did not want to risk shattering the image.

Thus, his potential was limited because he thought of himself in static terms. I could easily see him crumbling if there ever came a day when he lost.

How you think when you win determines the limits of your potential.

All of that goes back to the focus on the process. If your mindset is: win or lose, I will learn from this experience and be better tomorrow, it is hard to be deterred by small events.

It’s all about the long view.

Embrace the process.